Rafał Trzaskowski in Bydgoszcz. The Mayor of Warsaw answered questions from the audience. He mentioned his dog

Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski met with the residents of Bydgoszcz on Saturday afternoon. Earlier that day, the PO national board made a decision about organization of primaries before the presidential electionswhich will select one candidate of the Civic Coalition for president – Rafał Trzaskowski or the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.

During the meeting, Trzaskowski recalled 2020, when he was competing for the presidency. He mentioned the commitments he made towards voters at that time. “We have a lot of bills to settle on your behalf,” he said. He added that he is ready to fight to win both the primaries and the presidential elections.

Trzaskowski drew attention to the formula of the primaries itself, which – as he said – shows the democratic principles of the Civic Coalition. – The decision regarding the primary elections is important because it shows that the Civic Coalition is a democratic party, that we are democratic not only in name, but in reality – he said.

He expressed his belief that such a process allows the candidate to gain “a very strong mandate” and the support of all party members, which “will be crucial during the campaign.”

– Today it is absolutely necessary to create positive emotions and maintain support – said Trzaskowski. As he emphasized, with support and positive emotions he is “ready to go to every fight, to go to every duel.”

See also: Third primaries. Who stood in the race for the PO candidate for president first?

He also said that he could only “speak well and positively” about Radosław Sikorski. – I only have these emotions towards Radek, I don't have to pretend anything, I don't have any negative emotions. I fully understand that everyone can have their own ambitions. Radosław Sikorski had such ambitions in 2010, he also had such ambitions over four years ago – he said.

– If we want life to be better in Poland, for women's rights to be respected, for there to be, to put it bluntly, no shame when it comes to our representation in the international arena at the presidential level, if we want order in the justice system – (… ) a president from the democratic camp is necessary – argued the mayor of Warsaw in Bydgoszcz.

During the meeting, Trzaskowski assured that even if he wins the presidential election, he will still participate in meetings with voters. – Bydgoszcz was very high on our list of priorities from the very beginning, also because we are sure of one thing: there are always a lot of committed people here with very good questions – he said.

– This is not a slogan, politics is not made in salons, but among people. If we want to learn something, and I always learn, we can only do it among people, Trzaskowski continued. In this way, the mayor of Warsaw referred to a well-known statement Andrzej Duda from 2017, when he said: “I work all the time, I learn something all the time, without a break. I study in the apartment, I study in the car, when I'm driving, on the plane, when I'm flying, I'm learning something all the time. If I don't learn what I have to say, I learn what I want to say one day.”

Rafał Trzaskowski also announced that “you need to be prepared for provocations, trolls, artificial intelligence” during the election campaign. He also assured that even when the first information about Pegasus surveillance appeared, he “slept peacefully because he had nothing bad on his conscience.” – After 2018, after the 2020 presidential campaign, after 2023, when I was very active and traveled all over Poland, I really sleep peacefully. What they could use against me, exaggerating and manipulating, it all already happened – said the mayor of Warsaw.

He continued joking: “I am very careful when I cross the street, I clean up the poop left by Bąbl (Trzaskowski's dog, a bulldog – ed.). I try my best. I am a very emotional person and I greet my dog ​​very loudly. When I come home, I my wife always closes the windows. When I asked why she closes the windows, I heard: “because you are shouting at Bąbel, you are squealing and screaming, and people may think that you are you're squeaking at me.” I'm trying my best and I can even promise you that I will be less enthusiastic when greeting my own dog – Trzaskowski laughed.

Trzaskowski was also asked what cooperation with the president would look like if he won the presidential election Donald Trump. The politician pointed out that he has good relations with Republicans and has always been “very careful” in his assessment of President-elect Donald Trump. He also said that “Poland has an alliance with the United States, not just one administration.”

– How I hear the words Mariusz Błaszczak that the government should resign because Donald Trump won, these are (…) very strong words coming to my mind. This is just conducting politics on one's knees, he said.

The Mayor of Warsaw emphasized that he has good relations with both Democrats and Republicans. – We are too smart to be offended by anyone and we will cooperate with anyone – he said. He also emphasized that he had always been “very cautious” in assessing the conduct of President-elect Donald Trump. – I believe that it is worth maintaining moderation in diplomacy, because that is what diplomacy is for – explained the deputy head of PO.

– I remember what Donald Trump said – he always said that he would be a guarantor of security for those who take responsibility for themselves. We take responsibility for ourselves, said Trzaskowski, citing the almost 5 percent. GDP defense spending in 2025.

– We are actually a perfect example of what Donald Trump has always talked about, so our role is to convince NATO countries and the European Union to take more responsibility – emphasized the KO politician.

Trzaskowski said that Trump “gets simple arguments.” – There is no need to tell any stories that may be considered lecturing, just tell him: “listen, you said that the most important thing is that someone takes responsibility for themselves. We take responsibility for ourselves. I don't believe, Donald, that it is in the interest of the United States is for Russia to win this war,” he said.

He added that he believed that “you can really communicate calmly with Donald Trump.” – This is a person who simply speaks directly, without any bluntness. I can do that too, so I think it shouldn't be a problem – he said and recalled that Donald Trump agreed to the presence of American troops on Polish territory.