Gordon Sondland, a key figure in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, has shifted his stance and announced his intention to vote for Trump in the upcoming election. Sondland, who had previously disavowed Trump in light of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, revealed his change of heart during an appearance on MSNBC.
Speaking with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Sondland explained the reasoning behind his decision, marking a stark contrast from his prior position. “No, I don’t stand by it, and I’ll tell you why,” Sondland said when asked if he stood by his pledge to oppose Trump following the events of Jan. 6, 2021. He attributed his shift to the impact of the Biden administration’s policies. “I’ve now lived four years under the Biden-Harris policies, and I have to say those policies are not only becoming an existential threat to our country’s way of life but to our allies as well.”
The interview featured Sondland alongside former White House advisor Peter Navarro and spokesperson Sarah Matthews, reflecting on their experiences working under the Trump administration. The conversation explored how their time in office shaped their career and worldview, with Sondland offering his striking reversal.
Melber appeared stunned by Sondland’s admission.
Nevertheless, Sondland emphasized his concerns over current policies, which he believes are more damaging than his previous reservations about Trump’s conduct.
Fox News continues:
Melber continued speaking at a loud volume during the exchange: “But the whole point you seem to be making was that January 6th and that kind of attack on democracy is bigger than any policy-“
“I am seeing so many attacks on democracy that eclipse January 6th,” Sondland replied, encouraging Melber to ask him what those are. Earlier in the same panel, he had voiced his concerns about a future scenario where “if the Democrats are able to impose their desired program over the next several years, there will be massive voting irregularities.”
Later, he said that “Policy matters greatly, because policy translates into our way of life and the way our country operates.” While he argued that Trump’s conduct around January 6 was not an exemplary thing, there are bigger concerns facing the American electorate.
“I want to express is that I’ve now lived for four years under the Biden-Harris administration,” he said. “I live in a bucolic city of Portland, Oregon, which has been destroyed by those policies. Absolutely decimated. Businesses are suffering. My own business is suffering solely for political reasons and it’s all fixable and they don’t want to fix it.”
Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union at the time, played a pivotal role in the 2019 impeachment inquiry into Trump. His involvement centered around allegations that Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for military aid.
Sondland became a key figure because of his direct communications with Trump and other officials about the alleged quid pro quo. During his testimony, Sondland stated that there was indeed a “quid pro quo” involving military aid and the requested investigations. He testified that “everyone was in the loop” about the pressure campaign, implicating other top officials like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
Sondland’s testimony was significant because it linked Trump to the effort to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, a central aspect of the impeachment case. However, Sondland also stated that Trump had told him directly, “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo,” which the president’s defense team used to refute the accusations.
Trump fired Sondland in February 2020, shortly after his first impeachment trial ended with his Senate acquittal, removing him from his role as U.S. ambassador to the European Union.
Sondland was fired on the same day as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, another key impeachment witness, who was removed from the National Security Council. These firings were seen as retaliation for their roles in the inquiry, though Trump and his team called them routine personnel changes.
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He has realized that he was wrong about President Trump. I have always thought that Pelosi & the FBI planned the whole Jan. 6th deal, otherwise she would have accepted the extra police protection. She wanted to be able to blame Trump.