Debate? Jarosław Kaczyński: “Willing with Weber”
During the last Sejm plenary session, reporters from TVN and Gazeta Wyborcza asked Jarosław Kaczyński about a potential debate with Donald Tusk. The topic quickly turned to whether a face‑to‑face exchange would take place and in what language it might occur.
Are you afraid of Donald Tusk? Will there be a debate? asked one GW journalist, pressing the issue with a direct tone.
The TVN reporter added the question: Why won’t you engage in a debate with Donald Tusk?
Kaczyński’s response was concise. He signaled a preference for a debate with Weber, saying he would be comfortable engaging with Weber, but did not indicate the same openness toward Tusk.
And for the question about debating with Tusk, the journalist pressed further, noting the ongoing attention from media aligned with opposition and asking what language would be used if a discussion were arranged.
Tusk addresses Kaczyński
In a satirical turn reminiscent of short TikTok videos, Donald Tusk responded to the earlier exchange. The PO leader published footage showing him listening to Kaczyński with a mock concern, then delivering a message in which the audience is reassured that there is nothing to fear. The tone suggests a playful but pointed jab at the PiS president and the surrounding debate.
Dear Jarosław, there is nothing to be afraid of. You have nothing to be ashamed of. With me it will be in Polish. Debating for an hour and after the pain, ends Tusk in the clip.
Echoes of the head of the EPP
Manfred Weber, the head of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, spoke in an interview with ZDF about PiS facing internal and external pressure. Some commentators interpreted Weber’s remarks as implying that Civic Platform could be seen as a local arm of the EPP, while Weber himself would be viewed as the main figure to lead from Brussels.
Two portals, Onet.pl and WP.pl, sparked a wave of speculation ahead of the pre‑election debate between Kaczyński and Tusk. The editors indicated that Tusk had shown willingness to engage, while suggesting that Kaczyński and his circle did not pursue the proposal with vigor.
READ ALSO: Did the PiS president have the right to refuse a debate with Tusk? A WP reporter criticized the stance, and a columnist referenced Weber’s position and a provocative comparison.
READ ALSO: Prime Minister to Weber: You sent us Tusk, who, posing as a Polish patriot, comes across as awkward and uncomfortable as a German joke. VIDEO
“It’s hard to talk to Donald Tusk in a debate.”
Last week, when asked whether Kaczyński would take part in a debate with Donald Tusk, government spokesman Piotr Müller offered a blunt assessment. He argued that engaging with Tusk in any debate is difficult because many of Tusk’s statements are followed by what Müller described as formative lies about retirement age and taxes.
According to Müller, such a duel would be pointless because of the perceived misinformation surrounding Tusk. He cited concerns that the former prime minister’s statements mislead voters about policy changes and fiscal plans.
READ ALSO: Debate of the PiS president with Tusk? Müller said it would be hard to imagine; he argued that Tusk lies, manipulates, and speaks from an alternate reality.
Weber refused to debate with Prime Minister Morawiecki
After Weber’s stance, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki invited Weber to participate in a debate. Morawiecki argued that German involvement in Polish elections should be scrutinized in a public forum and expressed his role as head of the Polish government in protecting the integrity of the electoral process.
Weber did not accept the invitation to join the debate. Reports noted his reluctance to participate and his insistence that there was no interference in Polish affairs from Germany.
Donald Tusk can make faces, wink, and play the satirical card, yet such theatrics do not alter the core argument: a Tusk–Kaczyński debate, if it happens, would be a test of ideas rather than theatrics.
olnk/Twitter(X)/wPolityce.pl/PAP