President Trump turned the White House into a cynical game show on Night 2 of the Republican National Convention

The New York Times

"Prime-time TV viewers first got to know Donald J. Trump delivering his catchphrase, 'You’re fired,' in the boardroom of The Apprentice," says James Poniewozik. "But firing wasn’t all that he did on that show. He also gave away prizes: helicopter rides, trips to Mar-a-Lago and in each season’s finale, a job. Later, in the Celebrity Apprentice years, he’d grant donations to the winners’ chosen charities. That was the other half of the brand that the TV magic of Apprentice created for him. On the one hand, the blunt, fearsome boss cutting the deadwood; on the other, the beaming benefactor, handing out boons. The recipients would thank him, praise him, compliment him. He was the center of the story; he got a piece of the deal, too. In a series of taped segments, the Republican National Convention has tried to resurrect that Donald Trump for prime time: the president as gracious, generous host; the benefits of democracy (citizenship, a pardon, a presidential audience, freedom itself) as the prizes; the White House — in potential violation of the Hatch Act — as his soundstage." On Tuesday night, Trump's pardon of a felon who founded Hope for Prisoners and his naturalization ceremony for five immigrants "were deeply emotional, embodying the chance for reinvention that America offers at its best," says Poniewozik. "They were also deeply cynical, illustrating how willing the president is to leverage the office for his own reinvention, via a TV production." ALSO: Sean Hannity didn't cut into RNC speakers on Night 2 as he did on Night 1.