There are several articles today on what's being learned from documents released in one of the fraud cases brought against "Trump University" and the fraudster himself, Donald "Rump" Trump. Here are a few select nuggets about the "playbooks" used by the "Trump University" salespeople to bilk the rubes.
Olivia Nuzzi:
The de facto Republican nominee, a fervent critic of President Obama’s “total lack of transparency,” fought, via his lawyers, to keep the playbooks from becoming public knowledge. But on May 27, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel ruled in favor of The Washington Post, which had requested their disclosure. In response, at a San Diego rally held Friday, Trump lashed out at Curiel, who is from Indiana, by labeling him a “Mexican” and a “hater.”
Among the tips and tricks offered to get people to hand over their cash to The Donald was a script to use in response to likely objections, like not having the time or funds to take part in the program.
If a prospective student expressed concern about using their credit cards to finance their Trump University education, for instance, salespeople were instructed to respond by saying, “I see, do you like living paycheck to paycheck? Do you like just getting by in life? Do you enjoy seeing everyone else but yourself in their dream houses and driving their dream cars with huge checking accounts? Those people saw an opportunity, and didn’t make excuses, like what you’re doing now.”Christinia Wilkie:
In 2012, Ronald Schnackenberg, a former sales manager at Trump University, testified that he’d been “reprimanded for not pushing a financially struggling couple hard enough to sign up for a $35,000 real estate class,” even though he believed the class would do more financial harm than good for the couple, according to The New York Times.The
“I believe that Trump University was a fraudulent scheme,” Schnackenberg wrote in his testimony, according to the Times, “and that it preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money.” (our emphasis)
Donald Trump was personally involved in devising the marketing strategy for Trump University, even vetting potential ads, according to newly disclosed sworn testimony from the company’s top executive taken as part of an ongoing lawsuit.
In the testimony, part of a trove of records made public as a result of a federal judge’s Friday order, the executive said that the real estate mogul was involved in discussions and signed off “any time we had a new ad.” [snip]
One of the playbooks, first revealed earlier this year by Politico, suggested methods of luring attendees to buy a $1,495 ticket to a three-day workshop, described to those at the free sessions as “all you need” to start getting rich. However, the playbooks urged the sales team to push further, suggesting that those who paid $1,495 be encouraged to upgrade to classes with a mentor that could cost between $9,995 and $34,995.
Make no mistake: this is no aberration; this is a sociopath in full, noxious bloom.The playbooks instructed staff to have students fill out forms detailing their personal assets, ostensibly to provide targeted recommendations for investment. The playbooks, however, said the real purpose was to determine which students were good targets for the most expensive programs. (our emphasis)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren had it right when she said:
“Donald Trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap. What kind of a man does that? Root for people to get thrown out on the street? Root for people to lose their jobs? Root for people to lose their pensions? Root for two little girls in Clark County, Nevada, to end up living in a van? What kind of a man does that?
“I’ll tell you exactly what kind. A man who cares about no one but himself. A small, insecure money-grubber who doesn’t care who gets hurt, so long as he makes some money off it. What kind of man does that? A man who will never be president of the United States.” (our emphasis)It's up to every American with a functioning brain and soul to stand up against this evil con man to make sure he never sets foot inside the Oval Office.
BONUS: He's using the same "loss aversion" pitch to sway gullible voters.
BONUS II:
BONUS III:Ok, so Trump University was a total scam. I'm sure Trump Steaks really were the best steaks money could buy (at Sharper Image.)— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) June 1, 2016
TRUMP UNIVERSITY EX-WORKERS: "FRAUDULENT SCHEME" "PREYED ON THE ELDERLY"— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) June 1, 2016
See. Trump has plenty of preparation for running the GOP.
(Photo: Hair today, hopefully gone tomorrow.)
