Was Trump Hawking a Pyramid Scheme?

The State of the Union was nothing more than an Amway convention speech.

U.S. Olympic Hockey Goalie Conner Hallebuyck honored at State of the Union, screen shot by the author, from YouTube video from Fox 2 Detroit

A SOTU watcher posted the following “Subtext” to Carlos Versano, Newsweek’s director of politics and culture, during Trump’s February 24 speech:

Why does Trump insist on parading these people, some even young children, in front of everyone? Many are still grieving. There doesn’t seem any purpose to this except to allow Trump to talk about anything except the true “State of the Union.”

Corporate conventions are all pretty much the same. Basically, they’re little more than overblown, self-reverential, theatrical events, staged for the glorification of executives, to rally the minions and get the worker bees all lathered up. In the end, attendees are dispersed back home, presumably excited, super motivated and, most importantly, even more loyal to the brand.

A convention’s opening session starts with considerable fanfare and, ultimately, revolves around a keynote speech, usually delivered by the Company president, CEO, CFO, or chairman of the board.

The keynote speaker is introduced with a huge build up. As he or she takes the lectern, the attendees stand, applaud, and cheer worshipfully, as though they’re in the presence of royalty or some super-human figure.

This adoration will last until the speaker gestures the crowd to stop. After everyone has taken their seats, there is always some pretense of humility, with the chosen one expressing gratitude, saying what an honor it is to be addressing this splendid crowd.

Watching the latest State of the Union address, I couldn’t help but see it as another version of the same old thing. Donald Trump obviously has an innate understanding of his role in such a performance. For him, the part of USA’s CEO is type casting. And, admittedly, he plays it convincingly.

Why? Because, like most corporate executives, he’s a shyster of exceptional skill.

Regardless of the actual state of affairs, a keynote address invariably kicks off with chest pumping, boasting about how great the company is doing, claims that it’s setting records, expanding, acquiring, innovating, and that it’s more profitable than ever. Sound familiar?

Confession…

At this juncture, I should probably admit that my actual experience with corporate conventions is minimal. I’ve only attended two such confabs, both more than 25 years ago. Both events were for the same company, a corporation built on a multi-level marketing model. (Or, as it’s often called, a pyramid structure.)

However, unlike most multi-level outfits, we associates weren’t required to invest in garages stacked with inventory. Pre-paid Legal Services, LLC (now known as Legalshield) markets first-rate legal representation on a monthly subscription basis. Recruiting other associates was certainly encouraged, and one could build a lucrative business from doing so and benefit residually for years to come. But, for those who were willing to do the legwork, selling the service directly to individuals and companies also provided good income.

My experience attending these conventions gave me a unique perspective on Trump’s February 24 State of the Union address. Because, invariably, a big part of the theatrics of a multi-level marketing company convention has to do with introducing, congratulating, and rewarding established company superstars and top sellers — in-house legends, as it were — as well as newbies on the rise.

Mary Kay, a multi-level that has been selling skin-care products since 1963, is famous for rewarding its top associates with the “career car,” in the form of a pink Cadillac. It’s the presumed aspiration of every Mary Kay recruit to someday drive a pink Caddie around town. As a result, that ostentatious automobile has long been the company’s biggest dangled carrot. And the most anticipated event of a Mary Kay corporate convention is the acknowledgement of that year’s career-car honorees.

Trump’s SOTU followed the corporate keynote-speech template.

First, the president patted himself on the back for a supposedly booming U.S. economy, the plunging cost of gasoline, lower inflation, and a record stock market, while neglecting to address steadily rising costs that have been making life too expensive for most of us.

He even attempted to make hay by pre-celebrating the upcoming summer Olympic games in Los Angeles and the World Cup, neither of which he had diddly squat to do with.

Then, he segued into his acknowledgment section. The difference between Trump and a Mary Kay keynoter was that, instead of pink Cadillacs, he gave out military honors. It was amazing how quickly he got to these stories and awards, how many awards he passed out, and how much time he spent in the process.

The president’s gushing over the Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympic Hockey team — especially goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who the president honored with the Medal of Freedom for blocking Canadian shots on goal — lasted more than six minutes. By contrast, he spent barely three minutes on the possibility of the U.S. going to war with Iran.

(It should be noted that the U.S. women’s Gold-Medal hockey squad passed on Trump’s invitation to be a prop for American chest-thumping.)

Here’s what I didn’t find amazing:

Not a single acknowledgement or award given by Trump pointed to anything positive he has done as president — except perhaps the medal of honor given to an Army helicopter pilot for getting shot during the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.

Awarding Purple Hearts to two Reservists who were shot (one fatally) by a disgruntled, mentally ill Afghani immigrant would not have been necessary, had Trump not deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capitol for bogus reasons.

But, somehow Trump must have believed he could make himself look better by sharing harrowing, heroic stories involving everyday Americans who lost life and/or limb for the U.S.A. and pinning a token, shiny piece of metal on their chests for their sacrifice.

There was another big difference between Trump’s SOTU and a keynote convention speech delivered by a corporate CEO. The CEO never stoops to insult or humiliate a portion of the audience for not applauding or cheering. Nor would the CEO ever declare that a certain faction of the crowd is destroying the company.

Unlike Trump’, a CEO’s time at center stage is only partially for self-aggrandizement. The CEO’s spotlight is also meant to shine light on an ideal image, a persona that unites, motivates, and inspires the crowd to higher achievement. The CEO hopes that individuals in the audience will walk away saying, “I want to be like him or her.”

There is no doubt that Trump is hawking a pyramid scheme.

He, his family, and his billionaire cronies are at the tiptop of the pyramid. A residual piece of the money you and I labor to earn trickles up right into the pockets of Trump and his oligarch friends. That’s exactly how a pyramid scheme works.

But, in order for a pyramid to keep working, the people at the top must come off as enviable role models and the minions below have to aspire to be like the people at the top.

I doubt if Trump’s speech left very many Americans feeling excited, motivated, or inspired, or saying to themselves, “I want to be like him.” And, certainly, even fewer were left wishing they’d earned a Purple Heart.

Rand Bishop’s latest novel, *Long Way Out*, is available in e-book and print editions wherever books are sold online. The audiobook, narrated by the author, is available through Audible and most audiobook distributors. Verified customer reviews are essential to the success of any self-published book. Thank you.