DONALD Trump addressed crowds in Warsaw during his state visit to Poland, asking “whether the west has the will to survive”.
Both sides of the Atlantic, he claimed, faced the “danger” of regulations – a clear nod to the Paris climate agreement which Trump confirmed he would withdraw the US from.
The Polish people, he said, having endured both Nazi occupation and Soviet rule, “have never been broken, and have never forgotten who they are”.
They provided an example of the resolve western leaders now need to show, he said.
“As the Polish experience reminds us”, he said, “the defence of the west ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail”.
Seeking to increase defence spending of Nato members, Trump thanked the Polish contribution to the alliance while emphasising for the first time that he stands “firmly behind article five” – the provision which necessitates action if one member is attacked.
The President also invoked his predecessor Ronald Reagan, emphasising he was correct to distrust of bureaucracy.
Trump said: “On both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are confronted by yet another danger – one firmly within our control. This danger is invisible to some but familiar to the Poles. The steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people.”
“The west became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies”.
Trump’s sentiments were a clear appeal to Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party and its followers. Indeed, the visit to Poland was reportedly motivated at least partly by the promise of a warm reception.
The populist party, which has assumed control of state media outlets and refused to accept refugees since 2015, bussed in pro-Trump citizens who chanted “USA!” and “Donald Trump!”.
“We must work together to counter forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the south or the east, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are”, the president said.
Trump’s visit was not an unqualified success. He hailed the efforts of Lech Walesa – former dissident, president and Nobel Peace Prize winner – for his role in securing Poland’s independence. What the former Apprentice star had failed to realise was that Poland’s current government has long denounced Walesa as a traitor and USSR informant.
Polish Greenpeace projected “No Trump Yes Paris” in giant green letters on the Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science on Wednesday.
Next up for Trump is the Hamburg G20 summit. Given his disagreement with several EU members over environmental policy and with protesters already mobilised in the city, the president can expect a markedly less welcoming visit.
Before making his speech at the memorial of the 1944 Warsaw uprising against the Nazis, Trump briefed the media at a press conference.
He warned North Korea that “something will have to be done” to address “very bad behaviour”.
Syrian authorities also received a warning. “Any nation which values human life can never tolerate the use of chemical weapons”, the president stated.
Meanwhile, “Incredibly successful” talks had been held at the ‘Three Seas’ summit in Warsaw involving 12 nations, as Poland sought to loosen its reliance on Russian energy supplies, it was announced.
Finally, CNN was chastised once more, this time for responding “too seriously” to a video of an animation of the US president wrestling the broadcaster’s logo to the ground.
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