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President Donald Trump has nominated businessman, commentator and publisher Thomas Rose as the new US ambassador to Poland.

Rose, known for his pro-Israel views, previously served as a senior advisor to Mike Pence when the latter was vice president during Trump’s first term. He has also regularly commented on Polish affairs in recent months, including praising conservative President Andrzej Duda.

His nomination was welcomed by politicians from Poland’s national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, with which Duda is aligned.

“Thomas is a highly respected businessman and commentator, who had a successful radio show on Sirius XM for almost a decade and served as Publisher and CEO of The Jerusalem Post,” Trump wrote on his social network, Truth Social.

“He will make sure our interests are represented in Poland, and always put America first.”

“I am deeply honored and profoundly humbled to be asked by our history-making POTUS [President of the United States] to serve as Ambassador to Poland,” Rose wrote on social media platform X, where he describes himself as “a not-so-secret agent of MAGA Judeo-Christian Conspiracy”.

“If confirmed, I will spend each and every day doing my very best to promote, defend, and advance the interests of the United States of America and our fabulous Donald Trump,” he added. His nomination will now be sent to the US Senate for confirmation.

 

During Trump’s first term, the US president enjoyed close relations with Poland, which was then ruled by the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party and PiS-aligned President Duda. Last year, after meeting with Duda, Rose described him as “America’s greatest friend in Europe”.

However, in December 2023, PiS was replaced in government by a new, more liberal coalition – some of whose members have publicly criticised Trump – and Duda’s second and final term in office will end in August this year. That has raised questions about Polish-US relations during Trump’s current term.

Last month, Rose commented on the news that Poland would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an ICC warrant if he attended the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

“Donald Tusk, be careful,” wrote Rose on X. referring to the Polish prime minister. “Threatening to arrest Prime Minister of the Jewish State at Auschwitz .. of all places … is not unnoticed by USA. Poland deserves better!”

Later, after the Polish government confirmed it would not arrest Netanyahu, Rose wrote “congratulations to Andrzej Duda for preventing a rift in US – Polish relations & standing up for Poland by convincing Donald Tusk to reverse this terrible decision”.

In recent years, Poland has had tense relations with Israel under both Tusk’s government and the former PiS administration.

On 20 January, the day Donald Trump was sworn in, Rose spoke to Polish conservative broadcaster wPolsce24 about US relations with Poland during Trump’s first term, which ended in early 2021.

“Without a doubt, President Trump had an outstanding relationship with [former PiS] Prime Minister Morawiecki and President Duda, who remains in office and helped strengthen bilateral ties,” Rose told the broadcaster.

Rose also suggested that Poland faces a key decision before its upcoming presidential election in May. It has to decide whether it “wants to move closer to the centre of power in the EU…or whether Poland wants to remain a proud, sovereign country that fulfils its alliance obligations”.

News of Rose’s nomination was today welcomed by senior figures from PiS, which is now Poland’s main opposition party. PiS last year also celebrated Trump’s return to the White House.

Waldemar Buda, a former PiS government minister, declared Rose “a friend of Poland”. Former PiS party spokeswoman Beata Mazurek warned that “Tusk’s regime will have a big problem” once the new ambassador is in place.

However, Grzegorz Schetyna, a former leader of Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, told Polsat News that Rose “will be pleasantly disappointed with Poland when he is confronted with the reality, and not articles from the right-wing press”.

The previous US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, a nominee of President Joe Biden, stepped down last month ahead of Trump’s inauguration. During Trump’s first term, Georgette Mosbacher served as ambassador to Poland.

Main image credit: Tom Rose/X

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