Former President Donald Trump held a private meeting in Manhattan Wednesday with Polish President Andrzej Duda. The two declared their friendship after their two and a half hour visit at Trump Tower.
The presumptive Republican nominee reportedly discussed with his former counterpart the war in Ukraine, the current Middle East unrest and other obstacles to world peace. A peace, it should be noted, that was enjoyed while Trump occupied the White House.
The 45th president praised his “friend” Duda for “doing a fantastic job” as they exited the landmark building. He said the two need to meet again, presumably after a November victory.
Trump further touted his personal bond with the Polish president. “We had a very good and personal relationship. Never had even a problem, not even a minor problem, we agree on so much.”
The former president reflected on his sojourn to Poland in 2017. In a statement, Trump complimented its citizens “for steadfast defense of their sovereignty” and being committed to protecting the European Union from harm.
Poland is a notably conservative nation that works to secure its borders from illegal migrants, a cause Trump knows well.
President Trump held a summit with the President of Poland in NY.
Funny that leaders of other countries meet with our former (and next) President instead of the current president.
That says a lot about how the rest of the world views the US. pic.twitter.com/VIoTVsN8zP
— Ygor Petrov (@YgorPetrov) April 18, 2024
While Trump was in the White House he pushed for NATO member states to pay their fair share for the continent’s defenses.
Trump famously called for the 31 allies to “pay up” as Washington foots most of the bill for NATO’s protection. This was a cause that most conservatives, including Duda, agreed with.
The Polish president confirmed Wednesday that he and Trump discussed Duda’s proposal that NATO countries expend a minimum of 3% of their GDP on their defense.
Duda told journalists after the meeting that he was invited by Trump to sit down in his apartment since both would be in New York City.
The Ukraine war was also discussed as Poland borders the conflict and has taken numerous steps to defend its sovereignty
Critics of the former president argue that if he is re-elected it will spell the demise of U.S. aid for Ukraine. But Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are solidly behind yet another assistance package set to be voted on in coming days.
House conservatives were able to get part of the over $60 billion earmarked for Kyiv to be structured as a loan. Johnson told CNN that 80% of the funds will replenish U.S. weapons already supplied to the nation for its war against Russia.
