(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump hosted newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House on Wednesday amid continued efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine.
Trump endorsed Nawrocki, a former amateur boxer who represents Poland’s conservative Law and Justice Party.
Nawrocki arrived at the White House with his close advisers but did not bring any representatives from parliament, a departure from past practices, according to the country’s foreign minister.
When asked about U.S. troops in Poland, Trump said he would increase their presence there at Nawrocki’s request and that the United States is closely aligned with Poland.
Trump on China, Russia relations
Trump was asked about a recent summit between China, North Korea and Russia and said he has a good relationship with all of them.
“We’re going to find out how good it is in the next week or two,” Trump said.
Epstein files
Regarding the investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Trump again referred to a purported client list as a “Democrat hoax,” a reversal of previous comments during his presidential campaign, in which he promised supporters he would release the list and all related files.
National Guard deployments
He then pivoted to his federal takeover of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and attacked Democratic mayors for crime rates in their cities, alleging Democrats were using the Epstein files to distract from the issue and from his successes as president.
Trump repeated his claims that he has made D.C. a “safe zone” and said that business is booming in the district. Recent data has shown restaurant bookings have dropped in the capital after the deployment of National Guard troops.
He floated the idea of sending the National Guard to New Orleans at the request of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, stating that the administration was considering deploying troops to multiple cities.
“We are making a determination now: Do we go to Chicago or do we go to New Orleans?” he said.
The president declined a request from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to walk through Baltimore to get a first-hand look at the city.
“I think I’m a brave guy, but there’s no reason to be stupid,” Trump said.
He has continued to paint a picture of Baltimore, Chicago and D.C. as crime-ridden, dangerous cities full of criminals, even as local officials have pointed to decreasing crime rates.
Drug vessel strike
Trump also stepped up criticism of Venezuela when asked about a recent lethal strike on a boat originating from the country.
“On the boat, a massive amount of drugs was coming into our country to kill people,” he said. “We have to protect our country, and we’re going to. Venezuela has been a bad actor.”
Tariffs
Trump praised his sweeping tariffs, harkening back to early U.S. history when tariffs were a revenue generator and the income tax had not yet been introduced. He said his administration would be asking the Supreme Court to issue a swift ruling after an appeals court found most of his tariffs were not lawfully implemented.
U.S.-Poland relations
Russian aggression was expected to be a major topic of Wednesday’s meeting, with Nawrocki expected to stress the need for a strong U.S. presence in Poland to deter Russia.
Poland has supported Ukraine in the war, but Nawrocki has echoed some of Trump’s criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The issue has taken on even more importance as hopes for a peace deal have dimmed. Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would bring an end to fighting in days.
However, negotiations have dragged on, and despite the initial optimism following a summit with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has suggested the fighting may continue.
The prospect of continued conflict has heightened anxiety in Europe, especially in countries that border Russia and fear they could be next in line if Russia’s aggression goes unchecked.
Nawrocki’s role in government is largely symbolic, with most power held by Poland’s parliament. However, the president can veto legislation and serves as Poland’s representative abroad.