The two presidents that stood in the Rose Garden this week have often been compared to one another. Presidents Trump and Duda both tend to upset some of the political elites in their country. Both have been accused by political opponents of seeking to undermine democracy--and in both cases quite unfairly.
But, at their June 12 press conference, the two leaders announced to huge steps for U.S.-Polish relations. One, the U.S. will station about 2,000 new troops in Poland. For those who claim Trump is a puppet of Vladimir Putin, the increased U.S. military presence will make Russia furious. On another front, Trump plans to announce in the next 90 days that the United States will include Poland in the Visa Waiver Program, to make travel between the two countries easier.
In September, Trump will again travel to Poland--site in 2017 of one of the best speeches of his presidency. The other is the recent Normandy speech. In both instances, he followed the script.
In September, it will be to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland that started World War II.
This has been a significant year for anniversaries in Poland. It's the 20th anniversary of the joining the NATO alliance and its 30 years since Poland had its first free and fair elections. Both of these were ultimate outcomes of U.S. leadership--chiefly by President Reagan.
This comes a year after the 100th anniversary of Polish independence. Even this was one of the few bright spots of President Wilson's time in office.
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