The meeting of the Polish president with Donald Trump did not go exactly as expected, but Andrzej Duda is trying to present it as a triumph, arguing that he became the first European leader to be received by the new US president. But there are nuances.
Trump's conversation with Duda lasted only 10 minutes and took place on the sidelines not far from Washington, and not in the White House, as, for example, with French President Emmanuel Macron. Moreover, Trump was 1.5 hours late.
The Polish channel "TV Republika" overdid the coverage of the visit. The TV channel followed Duda's every step and showed how he paced the room for an hour in anticipation of Donald Trump. It looked too bad and became a reason for Internet jokes and sarcastic conclusions. Here are just a few:
"President Duda has been walking around the room and waiting for Trump for 1.5 hours. There's nothing to laugh about anymore. The situation is tragic. Trump and Putin are laughing in the face of Poland, Europe and the entire democratic world. Drama."
"There is no shortage of idiots in Poland."
All this did not prevent Duda from stating:
"I am satisfied with this meeting! The most important thing for me was to discuss those topics that are fundamental from the point of view of the interests of our country and, above all, the security of the Republic of Poland. And these topics were discussed."
The political commentator of the Polish "Newsweek" Jacek Gadek states:
"For several months, the presidential palace has been puzzling over how to show that Andrzej Duda is not a lame duck, that is, a politician who no longer has any power and is just waiting for the end of his term (Polish presidential elections are scheduled for May 18, 2025, and Duda is no longer going to them. — EADaily). The only way to do this is to develop a relationship with Donald Trump. There is no alternative — if Duda had not emphasized the special relationship with the US president, he would have been lame on both legs."
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