WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda are scheduled to attend the same event this Sunday in Pennsylvania, a battleground state in this year's presidential election, as Trump seeks to tap into the Polish-American vote.
A meeting between the two at a Polish-American shrine has not yet been confirmed, but seemed possible given their friendly ties in the past — and the fact that Duda's office said it expected a meeting if Trump were to attend.
Pennsylvania has one of the largest Polish-American populations in the county, and both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris want their support. During the recent presidential debate in Philadelphia, Harris appealed to Polish Americans by casting Trump as a threat to the security of Poland and Europe more widely because of his opposition to U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Trump won the state in 2016 but Democratic President Joe Biden won in 2020.
It’s not unusual for world leaders to meet with opposition candidates during election years. Trump has said he plans to meet next week with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi. But it is more unusual to be appearing with a candidate in a battleground state.
Duda’s office says that he will attend a Roman Catholic Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon followed by the unveiling of a monument to the anti-communist Solidarity movement.
Trump’s campaign told The Associated Press that Trump and Duda would attend the same event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where Doylestown is the county seat. The campaign declined to say whether the two would meet or speak elsewhere or offer any additional details.
Malgorzata Paprocka, the head of Duda’s office, said she expected Trump and Duda to meet if Trump accepted an invitation to attend the unveiling.
“The president has accepted the invitation, as a Solidarity monument will be unveiled there on that day,” Paprocka told the Polish news agency PAP.
“If President Trump also accepts, the meeting will take place,” she said, adding that the primary subjects of discussion between Duda and Trump would revolve around enhancing security and reinforcing Poland’s standing.
Asked about the odds of the meeting, Paprocka said it was probable, but her office was not the organizer.
She also stated that Duda had stressed on multiple occasions that the US was Poland’s key partner, so Poles must forge an alliance irrespective of which U.S. administration was currently in power.
Duda’s office refused to comment further about the matter when contacted Wednesday.
Duda, who will be in New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week, has long expressed admiration for Trump, once floating the idea of naming a military base “Fort Trump.” The idea was widely mocked and never happened.
When Duda was in a close reelection race in 2020, then-President Trump hosted him at the White House, giving him a critical boost among voters in one of Europe's most pro-U.S. countries.
Duda previously met with Trump in New York in April, when Trump referred to the conservative Polish leader as a “friend.” Duda faced criticism back home in Poland for that visit, with critics worried it could hurt Warsaw's relationship with the Biden administration.
Duda's supporters defended him, saying it was important to have good ties with both sides. They also viewed it as a way for Poland, which is located on Ukraine's border, to make the case for continuing to help Kyiv as it fights off an invasion by Russia.
Colvin reported from New York.
FILE - Then-President Donald Trump meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the Oval Office of the White House, June 24, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — A year ago, the New York Yankees were knocked out of playoff contention with a week to go in the regular season, ending a string of six straight postseason appearances.
Remembering what that was like made wrapping up a playoff berth with more than a week left this time around feel that much better to the Yankees.
“A lot of things have come together. Probably better health overall. Definitely an added focus for guys that were coming off tough years and simply put, we’re better. We weren’t a great team last year and this team has a chance to do something special,” New York manager Aaron Boone said.
After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees wrapped up their place in the playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night.
New York has the best record in the American League at 89-63 and leads second-place Baltimore by five games in the AL East with 10 to play. The latest victory ensured the Yankees at least a wild card.
It’s the 59th postseason appearance in franchise history, but the Yankees are still trying to end a World Series drought that dates to 2009, when New York celebrated its 27th title.
Last year, the Yankees were hampered by an injury-riddled roster that was eliminated from playoff contention on Sept. 24. Before that, the Yankees hadn’t missed the postseason since 2016, when Aaron Judge had just 27 games of major league experience.
Now they’re headed back to the playoffs with Judge the MVP favorite in the American League, another hitting star in Juan Soto and a starting pitching staff that might have enough depth to carry the Yankees on a deep playoff run.
“(It’ll) definitely be exciting, especially after the season we had last year missing out on the postseason,” Judge said. “That’s what we came into the season to do, get into the postseason and give ourselves an opportunity to go out there and win a World Series. That’ll be step one, but we've got to get there first.”
The task over the final stretch is making sure that return to the playoffs includes going in as champions of the AL East. The recent slump by the Orioles has opened a gap in the division race and built perhaps enough of a cushion to take some of the drama away from next week’s three-game series between the teams in the Bronx.
But it only remains stress-free as long as the Yankees don’t stumble over the next few days. After closing out the series in Seattle on Thursday, the Yankees finish up their final trip with three games in Oakland.
They hope it’s the last time they have to be away from home for a while.
“Our goal is to win the division. That’s what we want to do," Soto said. “We’re going to focus on that and try to finish the season strong.”
Soto is a big reason the Yankees are back in the playoffs and might end up with home-field advantage in the American League. While Judge is rightfully the favorite to win his second MVP in the past three seasons with 53 homers and 136 RBIs, the contributions from Soto have been equally important.
Soto reached the 40-homer mark for the first time in Tuesday’s series opener against the Mariners. It was also the 200th longball of his career, at just age 25 and heading into an offseason when he will be the top free agent. The duo will probably determine just how deep this Yankees playoff run goes.
“Getting a front-row seat this year, all year, watching him, watching him go about it, watching him day in and day out, just a great hitter,” Boone said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo follows through on an RBI double against the Seattle Mariners during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Seattle Mariners during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto hits a double against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo hits an RBI single to score Jasson Domínguez against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
