Polish President Andrzej Duda was determined to be the first European head of state to visit US President Donald Trump after his reelection.

The two men had enjoyed a close relationship during the first Trump term from 2017 to 2021, and Duda even visited Trump in New York in April 2024 when Trump was running for reelection.

This time, however, things were very different, and Duda's trip across the Atlantic was a disaster for the Polish president.

Trump left the Polish president waiting for 90 minutes on Saturday and then gave him just 10 minutes of his time on the sidelines of the CPAC summit of conservative activists and politicians near Washington DC.

TV coverage showed Duda waiting impatiently for the US president in a VIP area. Afterwards, he sat in the front row and clapped as Trump addressed the conference.

Trump described Duda as a "fantastic man" and praised him for the fact that 84% of Polish-American voters had backed him in the US election 2024.

All of this was in stark contrast to how French President Emmanuel Macron was received at the White House on Monday.

Macron was welcomed with full presidential pomp, with the two heads of state holding a press conference together after their meeting.

Poland's press was clear about what it all meant. Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita called Duda's reception it a "humiliation" and a "cold shower," adding that Trump had treated Duda, who will leave office in the summer, like a "lame duck."

"In Trump's new world," it continued, "Poland is not a subject, let alone a key player."

Duda "should not........

© Deutsche Welle