(IntegrityTimes.com) – Former President Trump has begun meeting with foreign leaders after becoming the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Most recently, he hosted Polish President Andrzej Duda at his Trump Tower apartment in New York City on April 17.
The 45th president has been staying in the city since his hush money trial began. Newsmax reported that the pair likely discussed the war in Ukraine and NATO, as Poland shares a border with the war-torn country. Duda told reporters that it was “normal practice” to meet with “representatives of various sides of the political stage” when two countries have a good relationship.
Duda had warm remarks about his and Trump’s relationship, calling him a friend. He said that he had not had any discussions with Trump about NATO countries increasing contributions to three percent of their GDP but said that he was confident that Trump would positively approach the matter. According to media reporting, the Biden administration has tiptoed around making public comments on other leaders visiting with Trump, given that the pair are neck-and-neck in the polls.
However, Axios reported that some Biden officials have called some of the former president’s meetings into question, especially a spur-of-the-moment meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei at CPAC. Democratic Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said that it was only logical that a foreign leader would want to meet with all presidential candidates. He recalled former President Barack Obama’s multiple meetings with foreign leaders during his first White House run.
On April 8, Trump met with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron at Mar-a-Lago. They discussed NATO contributions, the upcoming elections in both countries, Brexit, and how to end the war in Ukraine, according to Trump’s campaign. Trump also held a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the New York Times. The outlet said that the date and the details of the phone call were unknown. Trump senior adviser Jason Miller also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had invited the former president to visit Ukraine, but that Trump felt it was inappropriate with Biden in office.
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