The Art of the Backroom Deal: How Trump Tried to Bring Down Tusk’s Government and Why the Plan Failed

If you think Trump is only brutally interfering in Ukraine’s domestic politics – you’re wrong, because he doesn’t like the governments of other countries around the world either.

The 47th U.S. president also seeks to remove other European governments that he considers disloyal. At the same time, Trump doesn’t stop at public statements and overt pressure on politicians; he resorts to full-scale covert operations aimed at removing those he dislikes.

This is exactly what happened in Poland six months ago, when the Americans tried to bring down Donald Tusk’s pro-European government. The details came to light thanks to an extensive investigation by the Polish media.

Why didn’t Warsaw give in to Washington’s brazen pressure, and is the White House really planning coups in Europe? – Channel 24 discussed these issues with Dariusz Materniak, editor of the Polish Press Agency (PAP) and an expert on international relations and security issues, as well as with Artur Koldomasov, a specialist in U.S. and Polish politics and a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

Trump suggested that Poland’s defense minister form a new government

“Donald Trump could have personally attempted to dismantle the governing coalition in Warsaw.” Behind this very cautious wording lie the findings of a major investigation by Gazeta Wyborcza and Onet.

According to Polish media reports, the U.S. president urged the incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, to break away from the alliance with Donald Tusk and form a new cabinet by joining forces with right-wing parties. A bonus for this “betrayal” was supposed to be Washington’s guarantee of support for the new government.

The incident took place half a year ago: on March 2, 2026, Kosiniak-Kamysz did indeed meet with Trump at the White House. And although the details of the conversation were not officially disclosed, information still leaked out.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk directly acknowledged that this strange story is true. The politician stated that Trump’s conversation with the defense minister concerned “rather the internal situation in Poland.”

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, known for not mincing words lately and immediately taking to social media to “communicate,” was even more outspoken.

Poland’s top diplomat expressed outrage that his ministry had not received a single report or memo following such a meeting.

“Could it be because the meeting also served as an attempt to involve a foreign state in our domestic politics?” Sikorski asked publicly, framing the question as rhetorical.

Sikorski’s post on X:

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz himself rejects all accusations. He denied that Trump had suggested he break up the coalition and joked:

“If you think the U.S. president knows the ‘Polish Peasants’ Party,’ then as the leader of that party, I’m very pleased,” the minister joked ironically.

However, knowing Trump and his blunt directness – or, in reality, his rudeness – it’s easy to assume that everything happened exactly as the media describes it. And current Polish government officials have good reason to be so alarmed.

Why exactly has the defense minister become the leading candidate?

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz heads the “Polish Peasants’ Party” (PSL) – the most conservative member of Tusk’s coalition. His departure would deprive the government of its parliamentary majority and pave the way for right-wing forces to take power. Evidently, it was he whom Trump’s team identified as the “weak link.”

However, it now appears that the Americans have overestimated their own expertise on Poland. Following Kosiniak-Kamysz, his political party, the PSL, has also denied rumors of Trump’s offer, reaffirming its loyalty to the current coalition.

As a reminder, the center-right PiS won the last parliamentary elections but was unable to form a coalition due to its own political toxicity; consequently, the coalition was formed by liberals who rallied around Donald Tusk and the “Civic Coalition.”

As PAP Editor Dariusz Materniak noted in a comment to Channel 24, this story has not yet become a cause for serious political upheaval in Poland. Kosiniak-Kamysz did not listen to Trump and did not set out to break up the coalition. What’s more, he has not lost the prime minister’s trust and has no intention of leaving the coalition.

However, this is a sufficiently alarming signal and yet another reminder of “Big Brother,” who is watching just as closely. But now these are not publicly voiced insults, as was the case in 2025, when, at the start of Trump’s term, J.D. Vance complained that in faraway Romania, an ultra-right-wing populist with a fascist vibe Călin Georgescu wasn’t being allowed to run for office, but rather a very specific plan to interfere in the country’s domestic politics.

On October 11, 2026, it became known that a “group of radicals” was planning an assassination attempt on the defense minister, but so far no link has been established between these events; therefore, the attempted terrorist attack and the attempted conspiracy should be considered as separate and unrelated incidents.

Artur Koldomasov, an expert on U.S. politics and a member of the American Political Science Association, noted in a comment to Channel 24 that this story should be viewed as part of the political maneuvering ahead of the upcoming elections in Poland. At the same time, it did not cause a major stir among Poles. The topic was picked up mainly by liberal media outlets and publications close to Karol Nawrocki, while for ordinary citizens, it never became a major topic of discussion – despite all the established facts.

What a foreign power has taken from us – we’ll take back with our sabers

Amid rumors of Donald Trump’s attempts to destroy the Polish coalition, Donald Tusk made a resounding statement during a speech at the Academy of Military Arts (ASzWoj). The head of government made it clear: Poland’s fate will not be decided in the Kremlin or in Washington.

The prime minister emphasized that the threat from the east is no longer just an abstract danger, but a reality that directly affects the country’s security:

“A war beyond our borders is already our war. The threat from the east is real and, at times, tangibly affects us,” Tusk emphasized.

According to him, the large-scale expansion of the defense sector has forced others to regard Poland both as a friend and as a potential enemy. However, Tusk’s main message concerned precisely the inviolability of internal sovereignty:

Neither an enemy nor an ally will decide which path Poles take, who governs Poland, or how we build our army. This is the essence of true sovereignty. There is no sovereign homeland without a sovereign, well-trained army,” the Polish prime minister concluded.

Journalists at Onet are convinced that these words were not merely a ceremonial speech to the military, but a clear public “message” to Donald Trump in response to his attempt to persuade Kosiniak-Kamysz to bring down the current government.

It’s Not Just Poland: Trump Wants to Change the Government in Ukraine, Too

Amid the scandal surrounding Trump's demands that Ukraine halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries, he has once again called for elections in Ukraine – which are, in fact, impossible given the current state of martial law.

It is telling that Trump brought up the “state of democracy” precisely when Kyiv ignored his proposal to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president. That said, given Trump’s actions and his fondness for Putin, Xi, and Kim Jong-un, democracy is clearly the last thing on his mind.

Nevertheless, the American leader criticized Zelenskyy for the attacks on Russian oil refineries, blaming them for the rise in global energy prices. According to Trump, Ukraine needs a “new president.” In response, Zelenskyy countered: Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, but only on the condition that Russia halts its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Earlier, Zelenskyy had noted that he was ready to hold elections if a ceasefire agreement were reached. In a recent interview with ABC News, he emphasized that for the voting to take place safely, the ceasefire must last at least 60 days. However, Russia has already rejected this proposal, and Trump once again blamed Ukraine for everything and, instead of punishing the aggressor, has continued to “twist the arm” of the victim of aggression, which has found the strength to mount effective resistance.

This isn’t the first time Trump has “dictated the rules” to Europe

Artur Koldomasov notes that the events in Warsaw are not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader strategy by conservative circles in the U.S., specifically the MEGA (Make Europe Great Again) project, which was announced over a year ago by the influential American think tank The Heritage Foundation.

The goal of this initiative is to provide systematic support to politicians across Europe who are aligned with the MAGA movement ahead of key election campaigns. Therefore, attempts to influence the balance of power in Poland only confirm the large-scale implementation of this plan across the continent.

Artur Koldomasov

A striking example of U.S. influence is the presidential election in Poland, where Karol Nawrocki's victory was largely the result of public support for Trump. Nawrocki is one of Trump’s favorites, but for the most part, it’s a long-distance romance.

While U.S. relations with the rest of Europe remain strained and America is scaling back its military presence on the continent, Poland remains the sole exception. Not only is it not losing American troops, but it is also gaining new bases. This reflects an informal but clear consensus between the White House and certain political circles in Warsaw, says Koldomasov.

However, the Trump administration has already given so many reasons not to be considered a responsible partner – one whose word is worth anything and whose security guarantees are real and effective – that President Nawrocki’s decision to put all his eggs in one basket seems risky. This, incidentally, is understood not only in Poland. Currently, far-right groups across Europe are trying to distance themselves from their political “big brother” across the ocean, and while a personal photo with Trump may flatter their ego, in the current reality, it is detrimental to their electoral prospects.