Trump University vs. The Church of Scientology

#BirdsofaFeather

Structural Comparison: Revenue Architecture

Trump University vs. The Church of Scientology

While superficially distinct—one a for-profit "education" company and the other a tax-exempt religious organization—Trump University and the Church of Scientology share a remarkably similar revenue architecture. Both organizations operate/d on a "tiered progression" model, utilizing psychological leverage and "escalation of commitment" to move participants from low-cost entry points to high-ticket "elite" status.

Feature Trump University Church of Scientology
The Hook Financial Freedom: Promoted via free introductory workshops in hotel ballrooms. Spiritual Freedom: Promoted via personality tests or low-cost introductory books.
Progression Engine The Wealth Bridge: Moves from a $1,495 seminar to the $35,000 "Gold Elite" program. The Bridge to Total Freedom: A massive chart of courses moving from $100 to $500,000+.
Sales Mechanism Aggressive Upselling: Recruiters ("counselors") pressured students to max out credit cards. Auditing & Registrars: "Registrars" (sales staff) use high-pressure sessions to secure "donations."
The "Secret" Sauce Hand-Picked Secrets: Promised access to Trump’s "hand-picked" real estate mentors. Operating Thetan (OT) Levels: Promised access to esoteric knowledge of the universe.
Financial Yield Estimated $40 million in gross revenue (2005–2010). Estimated billions in assets and annual "donations" globally.

The Three Core Revenue Strategies

1. The "Ladder" Strategy (The Up-Sell)

Both models rely on a hierarchical pricing structure. You never buy the "product" all at once; you buy the next step.

  • Trump University: A free workshop led to a $1,495 three-day seminar, which served primarily as a 72-hour sales pitch for the $35,000 "Gold Elite" mentorship.
  • Scientology: Members are placed on "The Bridge." Each level (Grade 0 to OT VIII) requires an increasing "fixed donation." As the member reaches higher levels, the price per hour of auditing increases exponentially.

2. Psychological Debt & Credit Leverage

A key commonality is the instruction of sales staff to identify a target’s "ruin" (their greatest weakness) and offer the product as the only solution—even if it requires going into debt.

  • The "OPM" (Other People's Money) Tactic: Trump University playbooks explicitly instructed staff to encourage students to use OPM—urging them to increase credit card limits or take out loans to pay for the $35k package.
  • Registrar Pressure: In Scientology, members are frequently pressured by "Registrars" to liquidate savings, sell homes, or max out multiple credit cards to fund their next level on the Bridge, often framed as an "investment in eternity."

3. Internal Referral & Commissions

Both systems weaponize their "graduates" or members to expand the revenue base.

  • Field Staff Members (FSMs): Scientology utilizes FSMs who receive a 10%–15% commission on any new services purchased by the "selectees" they bring into the organization.
  • The Trump Brand: Trump University leveraged the "Reality TV" prestige of The Apprentice. Participants weren't just buying a course; they were buying a "membership" in the Trump brand, which encouraged them to act as ambassadors to recruit others.
#RevenueArchitecture #TrumpUniversity #Scientology #SalesFunnel #TieredProgression

Popular posts from this blog

BRASS KNUCKLES?

Image
Is ICE Carrying Restricted or Non-Standard Weapons? The following items are commonly restricted, discouraged, or prohibited in U.S. law-enforcement use depending on agency policy, state law, and use-of-force standards. Their visible presence on duty gear—especially if not standard-issue—should be documented and reported. Brass knuckles / knuckle-dusters: Often illegal under state law; generally absent from federal agency equipment lists. Blackjacks / saps / batons without policy approval: Some impact weapons are restricted due to high risk of head injury. Weighted gloves: Frequently prohibited as disguised weapons. Fixed-blade knives (outside utility tools): Large or fighting-style knives not issued by the agency. Modified batons: Altered ASPs, weighted tips, or improvised impact devices. Unauthorized chemical sprays: OC blends or crowd-control agents not approved by departm...
Read more

THE GOLDEN BALLROOM/BUNKER

Image
Ben Meiselas reports on the shocking admission by Donald Trump’s DOJ in a court case where the DOJ admits to a secret project underneath the ballroom which they claim is needed to protect Donald Trump’s life for “national security purposes.” "You unlock this door with the key of complicity. Beyond it is another dimension — a dimension of betrayal, of indulgence, of fear. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of politics and paranoia. You’ve just crossed into… the MAGA Zone." "Tonight’s story: A leader sworn to protect his nation makes a bargain with its enemies. The deal? Silence in the face of nuclear annihilation. No retaliation, no defense — only surrender dressed in secrecy. While citizens live unaware, their president builds a palace beneath the earth, a ballroom of gold, of marble and chandeliers, a masquerade hall for billionaires. But behind the gilded doors lies not music and laughter, but a bomb shelter — a sanctuary for the few, pur...
Read more

If the Constitution is Dead, is the King Unprotected?

Image
The Constitutional Suicide If constitutional legitimacy is abandoned, what happens to the protections derived from it? Authority flows from the Constitution. If Trump & Congress discard the Bill of Rights, they vacate the legal foundation of the Supreme Court.. Does Trump still deserve the presumption of innocence? There is a familiar temptation in moments of political escalation: to treat the Constitution as either sacred and invulnerable, or irrelevant and disposable. Both views misunderstand what a constitution actually is. It is not a magic charm; it is a rule-bound legitimacy machine. When the machine is treated as optional—when constitutional constraint is openly refused as a governing obligation—the system does not become “stronger.” It becomes conceptually incoherent. The purpose of this essay is not to assert that constitutional government has already en...
Read more