Polish presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the main opposition nationalist party “Law and Justice“ (PiS), met with former US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
According to the agency, the meeting is a clear signal of Trump's support for Nawrocki.
Polish citizens will vote on May 18 in the first round of the presidential election. Warsaw views strategic relations with the United States as key to national security, which lends added weight to Nawrocki's visit to Washington.
"President Trump told me: 'You will win,'" Nawrocki told the private TV station "Republika." "I take this as a wish for success, and after today's meeting I can say that the American administration is aware of the political situation in Poland," he added.
Nawrocki was in Washington on the occasion of the National Day of Prayer, with the White House publishing photos from the meeting in which he and Trump shook hands and posed with a thumbs up.
The "PiS" party has long demonstrated close relations with Trump. After his victory in the last US election, PiS lawmakers chanted his name in parliament. Current president and party leader Andrzej Duda maintained close ties with Trump during his term in office between 2017 and 2021, with the two often emphasizing their friendship.
However, not all Poles are positive about Trump's influence. A survey by the Opinia24 agency conducted in March for RMF radio showed that 49% of respondents believe that Trump's actions have harmed Poland, while only 23% view them positively.
Karol Nawrocki is currently in second place in the polls and is likely to face a runoff against the ruling Civic Coalition candidate Rafal Trzaskowski on June 1 if no one wins more than 50% of the vote in the first round.
The meeting with Trump also sparked political commentary. Civic Coalition MEP Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz told Polsat News:
"The President of Poland will be elected by Polish citizens, not by Trump and not by the Americans".