Donald Trump the Political Showman, Born on ‘The Apprentice’

With its glamour and famous catchphrase — “You’re fired” — “The Apprentice,” which debuted in 2004, was the ultimate showcase for Donald J. Trump’s self-styled image as a power-wielding mogul. But it also served as a prequel of sorts for his improbable next act as a presidential nominee, who will return to prime time as the ringmaster of the Republican National Convention.

More than Trump’s real estate deals, the show transformed its star from a New York curiosity into a national sensation, introducing millions of viewers — and, later, voters — to a highly flattering, highly fictionalized version of Trump, more appealing than the real-life developer whose successes were tempered by bankruptcies and personal turmoil. Trump, who had little previous television experience, revealed a showman’s mastery of the medium, which he used in 2016 to confound political opponents and seduce ratings-hungry networks. Those skills will be on full display at the convention in Cleveland (OH), where Trump is personally wooing celebrities and overseeing stagecraft for a blowout spectacle that will be less C-Span, more MTV.