A Trumpian Tragedy
Gordon Sondland has now become the poster boy for Rick Wilson’s assertion that everything Trump touches dies.
Before his involvement with Trump, Sondland was a successful businessman, enjoying the wealth he’d accumulated as a hotelier, living the American dream his parents had hoped for when they fled Europe during the Holocaust and settled in the US, where they raised their two children.
Being in a financial position to do so, Sondland, a Republican, contributed a million dollars to Trump’s inauguration fund – a substantial donation which eventually led to being appointed ambassador to the EU, despite having no diplomatic experience whatsoever.
But experienced or not, Sondland was on his way to hobnobbing with the international elite. His position brought the obvious perks – being recognized in the global community as someone of stature, someone to be catered-to as befitting his position, a man who would be extended invitations to political and social events that attracted some of the world’s most powerful and influential people.
Once settled in his new home in Brussels, Sondland began initiating massive renovations to the house that he and his wife would occupy while he served “at the pleasure of the ‘pResident’”, a pleasure that could last anywhere from a matter of weeks to a matter of years. And Sondland didn’t skimp on the cost involved, given that American taxpayers would be footing the bill.
No doubt the woefully inexperienced Sondland – be it due to naivete or ignorance of the “pResident” he was dealing with – was thrilled to be given the added responsibility of overseeing dealings with Ukraine, along with such ‘esteemed persons’ as Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry. No doubt he saw this additional responsibility as a clear sign that his dedication to Trump’s agenda had been recognized and rewarded.
But it all went downhill very quickly. What Trump undoubtedly recognized in Sondland was not initiative or an up-and-comer in Republican politics, but a willing dupe who would do anything to please a “pResident” who had elevated him to an ambassadorship and everything that position entailed. And, as unfolding events have proven, being thrown under the bus was always an option the “pResident” would exercise when cornered – something Sondland should have considered, but apparently didn’t.
So where is Sondland now? He’s facing being charged with perjury, and the prison sentence attached thereto. He is wondering if his heretofore successful hotel business will be destroyed by his willingness to be duped, or his willingness to play-along-to-get-along – neither of which instil confidence in his business acumen.
He is left wondering if his devotion to his “pResident” will end in being ‘recalled’ from his ambassadorship and sent packing back to Oregon, leaving the extravagant renovations to his Brussels home-away-from-home to be enjoyed by the next EU ambassador being lined-up for under-the-bus treatment should he also refuse to toe the line.
I am not defending Sondland – nor am I sympathetic as he faces his inevitable fate. However, I do believe his current situation should serve as a cautionary tale to those who still believe that any association with Donald Trump will lead to anything other than personal, professional, and political ruin.
As Sondland spends the weekend with his legal counsel weighing his options – as news stories about Roger Stone’s conviction play out on a TV in the background – one can’t help but recognize that being between a rock and a hard place is never where anyone wants to be. And yet it is exactly the place in which Trump supporters find themselves more often than not.
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