Donald Trump's former ambassador to the European Union warned MAGA "sycophants" they'd be chewed up and spit out by the former president.
Gordon Sondland, who testified about the Ukraine extortion scheme at Trump's first impeachment trial, wrote in his upcoming book, "The Envoy," that he gained the former president's respect through a straightforward approach, according to excerpts published by Insider.
"None of the politicians in office, from Ted Cruz to Josh Hawley to Taylor Greene to Tom Cotton, know how to adopt this approach," Sondland wrote. "They're sycophants who built careers on dissembling and playing roles that aren't authentic."
Sondland conceded that Trump had a "fragile ego" that constantly needed boosting, like "an addict would feed a habit," but he said the former president acted "slightly sheepish" when he called him out for not sharing the Tic Tacs he was eating.
"When you call him out on not acting like a normal person, it catches him off guard — and then he kind of likes it," Sondland said. "People do it too infrequently."
He urged Trump's allies to learn "what motivates him" and "deal with him accordingly."
"To deal with a bully, you have to stand up to him," Sondland wrote. "To deal with an egomaniac, you have to feed that ego."
