WATCH: Trump Participates in Naturalization Ceremony at the White House in Video Aired During RNC Convention

Ken MeyerAug 25th, 2020, 11:05 pm

After issuing a pardon to Jon Ponder earlier in the night, President Donald Trump continued to bust through political tradition by using part of the 2020 Republican National Convention to air a naturalization ceremony at the White House.

Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf led the first part of the event as he presented Trump with five candidates for naturalization, then conducted them through the Oath of Allegiance. After the ceremony concluded and Wolf passed things over to Trump, the president offered his congratulations to the five new American citizens.

You’re now fellow citizens of the greatest nation on the face of God’s Earth. Congratulations. Great going. You followed the rules, you obeyed the laws and you learned your history and embraced our values and proved yourselves to be men and women of the highest integrity. It’s not so easy. You went through a lot. We appreciate you being here with us today. You’ve earned the most prized treasured, cherished and priceless possession anywhere in the world. It’s called American citizenship. There’s no higher honor and no greater privilege and it’s an honor for me to be your president.

The event continued with Trump acknowledging the personal histories of all five and speaking of how they can now share in the American Dream.

Of course, political observers noticed this highly unusual use of the White House and presidential powers for Trump’s own benefit, and many of them strongly disapproved.

This use of the White House is gross.

For an anti-immigrant radical who has shut down all refugee resettlement to use it for this is fucking infuriating propaganda

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) August 26, 2020

Dear God, what a low point in our national history.

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 26, 2020

The naturalization ceremony was brilliant. Incredibly powerful.

But playing “Hail to the Chief” as the president walked into the room spoiled it. It turned it from an emotional statement of freedom into a political spectacle.

Great idea, poor execution. #RNC2020 https://t.co/NUDeAKHr9a

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) August 26, 2020

Evergreen 'if Obama had done this, conservatives would be outraged' remark.

— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) August 26, 2020

Many of them also expressed their certainty that this is a violation of the Hatch Act:

He’s breaking the law on live TV and getting away with it. There’s no bottom and every reason to fear that he’ll win again.

— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) August 26, 2020

"You followed the rules, you obeyed the laws" is a hell of a thing to say as you brazenly violate the Hatch Act.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) August 26, 2020

The fact that the Hatch Act is still the law of the land and all this is still happening is a reminder that laws aren’t self-enforcing and institutions aren’t self-maintaining. #RNC2020

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) August 26, 2020