Fort Trump? Polish leader dangles offer to president

WASHINGTON — Poland’s leader pressed President Donald Trump on Tuesday to consider creating a permanent American military base in Poland, offering a tempting incentive: The installation would be called “Fort Trump.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda extended the invitation during a one-on-one meeting with Trump at the White House that focused heavily on the U.S. presence in Poland as the country faces Russia’s increased military activities in the region.

Trump said during a joint news conference with Duda that he was considering the idea and noted that Poland had offered more than $2 billion to the U.S. to pay for such an effort. Duda, for his part, came away confident that he had taken a major step toward lining up a permanent American military base in his country.

“I was smiling when talking to Mr. President. I said that I would very much like for us to set up a permanent American base in Poland which we would call Fort Trump,” Duda said through a translator, prompting Trump to raise his eyebrows and smile. “And I firmly believe that this is possible.”

Seeking a check on Russian aggression, Poland wants the 3,000 U.S. troops now deployed in Poland on a rotating basis to be upgraded to a larger, permanent presence. A decision from the U.S. could come early next year.

Duda credited Trump for making Warsaw the first stop on the U.S. president’s inaugural European trip last year and said Trump’s outdoor address in Poland was a “very important moment” for the relationship between the two countries.