US presidential candidate Donald Trump cancelled his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda without giving a reason but did post a message of support on social media.
Duda, who was known for having friendly relations with Trump during the latter’s presidency (2017-2021), was due to have an unofficial meeting with his former counterpart on Sunday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a borough with a large Polish diaspora population, with Duda’s visit aimed at unveiling a monument commemorating the so-called “Solidarity” movement.
Trump cancelled the visit at the last moment without explaining his decision, according to the sources of public broadcaster Polish Radio.
Duda “was probably ready [for the meeting], but Donald Trump decided that he would gain nothing from it,” the private radio station TOK FM speculated, commenting on the reports.
By meeting Trump, Duda would be breaking an unwritten rule according to which the Polish president should not interfere in a foreign election campaign by supporting one of the candidates.
However, Trump did make a post on Truth Social.
“This is a wonderful day for our amazing Polish-American community. My great friend, Polish President Andrzej Duda, is at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to honour and remember the brave heroes who fought for Poland’s independence after World War II,” he wrote.
He recalled the closing words of his speech to the “courageous Polish People” during his visit to Poland as US President on July 6, 2017: “So, together, let us all fight like the Poles — for family, for freedom, for country, and for God.”
According to TOK FM, a meeting would certainly be perceived by Poles in the US as Duda’s gesture of support for Trump’s campaign, which would not necessarily serve the Polish president well, as not all of the Polish diaspora supports Trump.
Pennsylvania, home to some 800,000 people of Polish origin, is a swing state, meaning that both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be fighting for every vote there.
Duda’s ambitions
Several Polish analysts criticised Duda’s plans to meet Trump weeks before the US election, with Wojciech Szacki of the weekly Polityka calling it “absurd.”
“It is not that Poland [as a state] supports Trump. […] I don’t even know whether Andrzej Duda is 100% sure that he wants Trump to win the US election,” he said, as quoted by TOK FM.
He suggested that Trump might have learned from the case of Wojciech Kolarski, an MEP candidate in the June European elections who was supported by Duda and failed to win a mandate. The Republican candidate, therefore, decided that Duda’s support would not benefit him.
Duda will end his second term in 2025 with no constitutional right to run for president again.
Asked whether his efforts to maintain good relations with Trump are driven by his desire to obtain an influential international position, perhaps at the UN, once he steps down as president, Szacki said it would be “a horrible step” as it is far from certain that Trump will win the elections.
Polish media have previously reported Duda’s alleged ambitions to succeed Germany’s Thomas Bach as head of the International Olympic Committee. However, experts say his chances are slim, given the IOC’s policy of nominating athletes, preferably former Olympians, for the top job.
Unlike many NATO leaders, Duda, a right-wing politician with conservative views, has never hidden his admiration for Trump. He even wanted to name a permanent US military base in Poland after Trump.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
Source: euractiv.com
