When Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, steps into the White House to meet Donald Trump, the handshake will carry more weight than a routine diplomatic visit. It is not just about U.S.-Poland relations it’s a stage where Poland’s internal political struggle is being played out for the world to see.
Nawrocki, a conservative historian turned politician, swept into office on a populist wave, borrowing Trump’s campaign playbook with the slogan “Poland first, Poles first.” His surprise victory, backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party, rattled the country’s pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Trump’s early endorsement gave Nawrocki international credibility before the election. After his win, the former U.S. president praised him online: “Such a great win in Poland by Karol Nawrocki. He will be a great president!” Now, Nawrocki is cashing in that political capital making Washington his first foreign destination since taking office.
The visit has exposed the fault lines in Warsaw. Traditionally, Poland’s foreign policy is a joint effort between president and government. This time, Nawrocki invited no ministers to join his delegation. Even worse for Tusk, the president reportedly took part in a Trump-organized leaders’ call before the recent Trump Putin meeting in Alaska, sidelining the prime minister entirely.
A leaked government memo offering Nawrocki guidance for his White House meeting only deepened tensions. Presidential aides mocked it as “a college essay” and dismissed Tusk’s ministers as “impertinent.”
Officially, Nawrocki’s team says talks with Trump will focus on security. With 10,000 U.S. troops stationed in Poland, Warsaw wants assurances that American forces will remain even as reports swirl that the number could be under review.
Ukraine will be another pressing topic. Nawrocki has pledged to support Kyiv but rejects its NATO membership and has called for cuts to refugee benefits. His advisers say he will tell Trump that Russia is “the aggressor” while presenting Poland as NATO’s top spender, a position that Trump has repeatedly praised.
The timing could not be more fraught. Just hours before Nawrocki’s Washington visit, Poland scrambled jets to monitor its airspace during one of Russia’s heaviest missiles strikes on Ukraine this year over 500 attacks in a single night. President Zelenskyy, in turn, warned that Putin was “demonstrating his impunity.”
In this context, Poland’s internal tug-of-war matters far beyond Warsaw. For years, the country has been a linchpin in NATO’s eastern flank, hosting over a million Ukrainian refugees and serving as a hub for aid and weapons to Kyiv. Now, its credibility as a united actor is under strain.
To his supporters, Nawrocki is giving Poland a stronger voice in Washington. To his critics, he is undermining Poland’s pro-European course and using foreign policy as a political weapon against Tusk.
Either way, his meeting with Trump signals a shift: Poland’s power struggle is no longer confined to Warsaw it’s being played out in the world’s most powerful capital.
