Marcin Przydacz served as deputy foreign minister in the previous government of the right-wing conservative Law and Justice party and was a senior official in the office of Polish President Andrzej Duda responsible for international policy.
With Biden stepping away from the race and his VP, Kamala Harris, the likely candidate of the Democratic party in the upcoming elections, TVP World asked the opposition MP how he sees her chances in the November vote.
Pointing out that she still has to win the nomination of her party, but assessing the chances of that materializing to be “90 percent,” Przydacz said the fact Harris is Biden’s Vice President means the White House’s policies are unlikely to change dramatically should she win.
Nonetheless, “It seems that the probability of the victory of Donald Trump is still very, very high because he is very much warmed up in his campaign,” but added that a change of the candidate and an effective “restart” of the campaign “may give a bit of more chances for the new candidate of Democrats.”
In spite of her position on President Biden’s side, there are nevertheless some differences between the two. One important difference is their respective experience in foreign policy dealings.
As Przydacz said, “Joe Biden was an expert on foreign policy,” and his experience in the field dates back to the 1980s and 1990s. In the latter decade, he was a big proponent of NATO expansion, with one of the countries that joined the alliance in 1999 being Poland. He also understands the challenges posed to global security by both Russia and China.
“Kamala Harris is not that expert. [...] She was not a diplomat. She was not an expert in foreign policy,” Przydacz said. Instead, she is a lawyer with long experience as a public prosecutor. The Polish MP believes, however, that her foreign policy would be largely shaped by her advisers with more expertise in the field.
“Her understanding of Europe, and especially the challenges in Eastern and Central Europe could be a bit different compared to Joe Biden,” Przydacz said. but added that “the entire Democratic Party [...] are very much in favor of the continuation of a kind of deterrence policy toward Russia,” albeit while needing to keep an eye on China.
Nevertheless, Przydacz believes that “the domestic challenges could dominate her presidency.”
However, if Harris receives her party’s nomination, she still has to win the elections and Przydacz believes that at the moment Trump still has a better chance for victory, adding that the decision ultimately lies with the American voters. And while the
massive donations she received after her endorsement by Biden suggest she stands a chance, there is still criticism leveled against her for her tenure as Vice President. On the other hand, her being a woman and a representative of minorities could attract some voters, Przydacz said.
Looking at the U.S. presidential elections from across the Atlantic Ocean, specifically from the perspective of Poland, TVP World asked Marcin Prydacz which candidate’s victory would be better for Poland and the region, considering things like European security and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Przydacz reiterated that “It’s not up to us. It’s not up to Poles to decide about the future president of the United States. It’s up to the American voters,” but added that whatever the outcome “our [politicians of Polish coalition as well as opposition - TVP World] job is to get the best possible contacts to every possible.”
As Przydacz pointed out, during the tenure of Poland’s current president, Andrzej Duda, who originates from the same right-wing conservative Law and Justice party as Przydacz, all White House residents from Obama, through Trump, to Joe Biden have paid a visit to Poland.
He said that “for us [Law and Justice], it’s quite natural to have good relations with any possible president of the U.S.,” while also adding that “When it comes to our government, I think they still have a lot [of work] to do because they are very much openly cheering for the Democratic candidate.”
“So I presume that it won’t be very easy for the Polish government to establish good contacts, since Mister Trump is quite sensitive, as we all know, about comments on himself and the decisions he has taken.”
Referring to the recent interview by Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski given to Politico, who stressed the need for Poland to be able to stand on its own feet when it comes to security, Przydacz said that there are some differences in how the coalition and opposition see the nature of Transatlantic relations.
He said: “The conservative opposition [Law and Justice] is very much in favor of bringing more American presence on the European continent. The liberal left is rather [...] fans of autonomy. Strategic autonomy.”
For Przydacz, the important thing is to be able to get along with whoever is in the White House.
“That’s why the number one task for us, for our government, but also for the opposition to make reach out to those guys, to J.D. Vance [
Trump’s running mate and staunch opponent of supporting Ukraine - TVP World] and to convince them somehow, how European defense is very much related also to the U.S. security,” Przydacz said, while also adding that in his estimate, “J.D. Vance is not an expert on foreign policy,” and there is room to present him with facts and
try to turn him around.
