Across the Oder, a festival of hatred is underway against the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. German politicians and German media (which, in the case of our western “friends,” practically means the same thing) still cannot come to terms with the fact that the head of the Polish state is a patriot who looks after the interests of his homeland. Berlin also remains in shock after Karol Nawrocki’s visit and his clear, unequivocal stance, for example, on the issue of reparations. The Polish president cannot be treated in Germany like Merkel’s and von der Leyen’s – Tusk’s proteges.
“After 4.5 months of Nawrocki serving as president, it is clear that Tusk cannot count on constructive cooperation. Everything points to confrontation,” writes the German broadcaster MDR (cited via dw.com), which goes on to lament that “Nawrocki is trying to play the role of a kind of Polish Trump.”
MDR suggests, entirely untrue, that “Nawrocki is trying to impose new rules of the game and wants to expand his powers, exceeding the narrow limits set by the constitution.” As an example, the German station cites the president’s refusal to appoint several candidates proposed for ambassadorial positions, including ambassadors to the USA and Italy. MDR regards this as the Polish head of state embarking on a “warpath” with Radek Sikorski’s ministry. Such an opinion can hardly be considered anything other than propaganda manipulation (a talent in which, especially in recent history, the Germans have many achievements). It is hard to believe that across the Oder they are unaware of the prerogatives of the Polish president in foreign policy. It is also manipulation, if not outright lying, to deny President Nawrocki – by Germans invoking “rule of law” – the right, or even the duty, to participate in decisions regarding Poland’s security system.
Here MDR reveals what is really at stake across the Oder. Germany is increasingly afraid of the Polish Trump, as they call Nawrocki. Our president, through his decisive stance, is already building not only the position of a strong leader in Poland but also one of the leaders of the conservative camp in Europe. Karol Nawrocki does not need to say that “in Europe no one can outplay him,” leaving such empty slogans to Tusk.
The president is building his image as a “tough guy” who is in control. “The similarities to Trump are obvious,” notes MDR, which also points out other resemblances between the two politicians. “Trump and Nawrocki share similar conservative views on migration, social roles, LGBTQ rights, and climate policy,” the German broadcaster observes with regret. Both politicians, MDR continues, practice “elitist-opposed populism” and present themselves as “defenders of ordinary people.” The author admits that unlike Trump, Nawrocki actually comes from an ordinary family, and his career can be told as a story of advancement “from the bottom to the top.”
“With such a background, Nawrocki can credibly portray himself, even more than Trump, as an ‘anti-politician’ who came from outside and fights against arrogant urban elites ‘alienated from Polishness’ and contemptuous of ordinary people,” MDR notes. For the German portal, Karol Nawrocki’s voters are “residents of small towns with basic education and conservative views; the president gives them what they lack – recognition. This is a revolution of dignity,” MDR explains.
While it is hard not to agree with this last statement, it is difficult to accept MDR’s remarks about the electorate of the new president of Poland, and therefore about Karol Nawrocki himself, as accurate. The Polish president is, among other things, a respected scholar – holding a doctoral degree and the author of many publications, both books and articles, on the recent history of Poland.