Poland's Duda is latest foreign leader to meet with Trump

New York — Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday successful New York pinch Polish President Andrzej Duda, nan latest successful a bid of meetings pinch overseas leaders arsenic Europe braces for nan anticipation of a 2nd Trump term.

The presumptive Republican nominee hosted Duda astatine Trump Tower, wherever nan 2 discussed the warfare successful Ukraine and Duda's push to boost NATO members' defense spending, according to a readout from Trump's campaign.

Duda, who has agelong expressed admiration for Trump, is besides a staunch protagonist of Ukraine and has encouraged Washington to supply much assistance to Kyiv amid Russian's ongoing invasion. That backing has been held up by Trump friends successful Congress.

As he arrived, Trump praised nan Polish president, saying, "He's done a awesome occupation and he's my friend."

Donald Trump stands pinch Polish President Andrzej Duda astatine Trump Tower connected April 17, 2024 successful New York City.  Michael M Santiago / Getty Images

"We had 4 awesome years together," Trump added. "We're down Poland each nan way."

Following nan almost 2 1/2 hr meeting, Duda said only that it was a "friendly gathering successful very bully atmosphere."

His aide, Wojciech Kolarski, besides successful attendance, described it arsenic an "excellent meeting" of "two friends who reminisced connected nan clip erstwhile for 4 years they cooperated while holding statesmanlike offices," a clip that was "very fruitful for Polish-U.S. relations."

Duda is nan latest overseas leader to meet pinch Trump successful nan weeks since he locked up nan Republican nomination. U.S. friends crossed nan world were caught disconnected defender by Trump's astonishment 2016 win, forcing them to scramble to build relationships pinch a president who often attacked longstanding treaties and alliances they valued. Setting up meetings pinch him during nan 2024 run suggests they don't want to beryllium down again.

Trump's friends person been encouraging overseas countries to nonstop diplomats and charismatic emissaries to Mar-a-Lago to reconnect up of different imaginable Trump stint successful nan White House, sources pinch nonstop knowledge of nan meetings confirmed to CBS News. 

Trump advisers and friends judge he'll beryllium capable to capitalize connected nan diminution successful Americans' support of President Biden's overseas argumentation decisions. An April CBS News poll found that only 33% of Americans o.k. of Mr. Biden's handling of nan Israel-Hamas conflict, down from 44% successful October.  

Even arsenic he goes on proceedings for 1 of nan 4 criminal indictments against him, Trump and Mr. Biden are locked successful a rematch that astir observers expect will beryllium exceedingly adjacent successful November.

Such meetings aren't unprecedented  

While immoderate successful Poland worried nan sojourn mightiness harm nan country's narration pinch Biden, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. - a Biden state and a awesome sound successful his statement connected overseas affairs - said specified meetings make sense.

"The polls are close," he said. "If I were a overseas leader - and there's a precedent attached to gathering pinch candidates who are nominated aliases connected nan way to being nominated - I'd astir apt do it too."

Murphy noted that erstwhile President Barack Obama did a lengthy world circuit and met pinch overseas leaders erstwhile he first ran for nan White House. So did Mitt Romney, nan erstwhile Massachusetts governor, who challenged Obama successful 2012 and whose travel included a extremity successful Poland's capital, Warsaw.

Duda's sojourn comes a week aft Trump met pinch British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, different NATO personnel and cardinal proponent of supporting Ukraine, astatine nan erstwhile president's Florida estate.

In March, Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an autocrat who has maintained nan closest narration pinch Russia among European Union countries. Orbán shared a montage of footage of nan sojourn connected his Instagram feed, which included an image of him and his unit gathering pinch Trump and nan erstwhile president's aides successful a segment that looked for illustration an charismatic bilateral meeting.

Trump besides met concisely successful February pinch Javier Milei, nan fiery, right-wing populist president of Argentina who ran a run inspired by Trump, complete pinch reddish "Make Argentina Great Again" hats. Milei gave Trump an excited hug backstage astatine nan yearly Conservative Political Action Conference extracurricular Washington, according to video posted by a Trump run aide.

Biden management officials person been observant not to measurement successful publically connected overseas leaders' meetings pinch Trump, acknowledging he has a existent chance of winning nan race.

While immoderate officials person privately expressed vexation pinch specified meetings, they are mindful that immoderate disapproval would unfastened nan U.S. to charges of hypocrisy because elder American officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meet often pinch overseas guidance figures astatine various forums successful nan United States and abroad.

Security and argumentation officials show nan recreation plans of overseas officials visiting nan U.S., but mostly don't person a opportunity successful wherever they spell aliases pinch whom they meet, according to an management charismatic who said connected nan information of anonymity to talk protocol.

Trump has been backmost successful his hometown this week for nan commencement of his criminal hush money trial, which has dramatically constricted his expertise to recreation and campaign. While successful town, aides person been readying a bid of events that began Tuesday evening erstwhile Trump, aft tribunal adjourned, stopped by a Harlem bodega wherever a man was killed to obstruction against crime and blast nan territory lawyer who made him nan first erstwhile president successful U.S. history to guidelines criminal trial.

Trump-Duda arsenic "friends"  

Duda, a right-wing populist who erstwhile projected naming a subject guidelines successful his state "Fort Trump," described nan meal earlier Wednesday arsenic a backstage get-together betwixt friends astatine Trump's erstwhile residence while he is successful municipality for meetings astatine nan United Nations, wherever Duda is to present a speech.

"I person been invited by Mr. Donald Trump to his backstage apartment," Duda told reporters, saying it was "a normal believe erstwhile 1 state has bully relations pinch different country" to want those relations to beryllium arsenic beardown arsenic "possible pinch nan representatives of various sides of nan governmental stage."

"We cognize each different arsenic people. Like two, I tin opportunity successful immoderate way, friends," said Duda, whose word ends successful 2025.

Duda's sojourn comes arsenic House Republicans wrangle complete a $95 cardinal overseas assistance bill that would supply caller backing to Ukraine, including money for nan U.S. subject to switch depleting limb supplies. Polish leaders person been urging nan House to o.k. nan assistance measure and easiness home concerns.

Many Trump friends successful nan House are fiercely opposed to aiding Ukraine, moreover arsenic nan state warns that it's struggling amid a caller Russian offensive. Trump has said he mightiness beryllium unfastened to assistance successful nan shape of a loan.

One area wherever Trump and Duda work together erstwhile it comes to nan conflict is simply a desire to push NATO members to summation their defense spending. Duda has called connected chap members of nan confederation to raise their spending to 3% of gross home merchandise arsenic Russia continues its penetration of Ukraine. That would correspond a important summation from nan existent committedness of 2% by 2024.

Trump, successful a stunning break from U.S. precedent, has agelong been captious of nan Western confederation and has threatened not to take sides personnel nations that do not deed that spending goal. That threat strikes astatine nan bosom of nan alliance's Article 5, which states that immoderate onslaught against 1 NATO personnel will beryllium considered an onslaught against all.

In February, Trump went moreover further, recounting that he'd erstwhile told leaders that he would "encourage" Russia to "do immoderate nan hellhole they want" to members that are - successful his words - "delinquent."

Trump's run said nan 2 discussed nan NATO connection during nan meeting. The 2 besides discussed Israel and nan Middle East, Trump's 2017 travel to Warsaw "and galore different topics having to do pinch getting to world peace," nan run said successful its readout, which described nan men arsenic "great friends."

The sojourn was met pinch mixed guidance successful Poland, wherever fears of Russia tally precocious and Duda's friends narration pinch Trump has been a root of controversy.

Poland's centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a governmental force of Duda, was captious of nan meal but expressed dream that Duda would usage it arsenic an opportunity "to raise nan rumor of intelligibly siding pinch nan Western world, populist and Europe successful this Ukrainian-Russian conflict."