Karol Nawrocki

Karol Nawrocki was born on 3 March 1983, in Gdańsk. His father, Ryszard (1949–2008), was a turner and a member of Solidarity. His mother, Elżbieta, was a bookbinder. He has a younger sister named Nina who is a pastry cook and works in a restaurant in Kraków. He completed primary school and the 4th High School in his home city. After passing his final exams (matura) in 2002, he graduated in 2003 from the Post-Secondary School of Business and Administration in Gdańsk with the title of Personnel Management Specialist. At the same institute, he obtained a PhD in the humanities based on his dissertation titled: Social Resistance to Communist Rule in the Elbląg Voivodeship, 1976–1989. In his youth, Nawrocki developed a strong interest in physical fitness, spending time working out at the gym, and participating in football and boxing. == Early career ==

in New Zealand, February 2020 Nawrocki worked at the Institute of National Remembrance in the years 2009–2017, heading its Branch Public Education Office in Gdańsk from 2013 to 2017. He also served as the chairman of the Siedlce District Council in Gdańsk between 2011 and 2017. In 2017, Nawrocki was appointed the director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, a job he held until 2021. He then returned to the Institute of National Remembrance, becoming its deputy president in June 2021. In July 2021, he took office as the head of the Institute of National Remembrance after being elected by the Sejm and approved by the Senate of Poland. Nawrocki is the author or co-author of several books as well as numerous scientific and popular science papers on anti-communist opposition, organised crime in the Polish People's Republic and the history of sports. Nawrocki used the pen name "Tadeusz Batyr" to write a book about a gangster living in 1980s Communist Poland. Nawrocki in 2018 went on television as Tadeusz Batyr, wearing a hat and having the television broadcast blur his face, where he said that Nawrocki "inspired me" and highlighted how Nawrocki "was the first person to examine organised crime in communist Poland". Meanwhile, on social media, Nawrocki wrote that "Tadeusz Batyr contacted me for some guidance" and "thanked me for my help with an interesting book, which I recommend". == Presidential campaign ==

Rise to candidacy Nawrocki was in consideration among speculative candidates such as PiS parliamentary leader Mariusz Błaszczak, MEP Tobiasz Bocheński, poseł Zbigniew Bogucki, former Minister Przemysław Czarnek, MEP Patryk Jaki, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, poseł Arkadiusz Mularczyk, poseł Kacper Płażyński, former Deputy Minister Tomasz Szatkowski and MEP Dominik Tarczyński, among others. President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Witold Bańka, was also considered Kaczyński's favoured candidate, but he refused to run in the election. Because of the centralized nature of the party, the choice for selecting who the party's candidate would be fell primarily to the party chairman, Jarosław Kaczyński, based on social research and the balance of factional power within the party. In an August Radio Maryja interview, Kaczyński stated that the selection of possible candidates was narrowing, and described that the PiS candidate must be a "young, tall, imposing, handsome" male "[with] a family". A United Surveys poll in September 2024 suggested 29% of PiS voters supported Błaszczak, 21% supported Morawiecki, 11% supported Czarnek, 7% supported Nawrocki, 6% supported Bocheński and 6% supported Tarczyński. The possibility of a primary election for the party was rumored, but ultimately, never announced. By November 2024, media speculation regarding the candidates narrowed down to, most frequently, Bocheński, Czarnek and Nawrocki. According to Newsweek, Nawrocki was supported internally by party activists such as Adam Bielan, Joachim Brudziński, Sławomir Cenckiewicz, , and Mateusz Morawiecki (despite initially desiring to himself be the candidate). Ultimately, at 13.15 on 22 November, Nawrocki was informed that he had been selected as the party's presidential candidate in a meeting with Kaczyński and his opponent, Bocheński. The selection of Nawrocki without consultation with outgoing president Andrzej Duda (the previous PiS candidate) strained relations between him and Nawrocki, although Duda eventually endorsed Nawrocki at his election convention in Łódź on 26 April. First round of the presidential election On 24 November 2024, at the , during a civic congress organised by Law and Justice, Nawrocki was announced by Andrzej Nowak as an independent candidate supported by the party in the 2025 presidential election. Nawrocki's campaign's platform was described as "patriotic, pro-Christian, pro-NATO, pro-Western, and pro-Donald Trump". On 1 May 2025, Nawrocki met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. He finished second in the first round held on 18 May 2025 with 29.54% of the vote, and faced Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski in a runoff on 1 June. Second round of the presidential election On 22 May 2025, Nawrocki met with Sławomir Mentzen, who placed third in the first round of the election. They reportedly discussed possible concessions that could lead to Mentzen endorsing Nawrocki. Mentzen presented a set of eight points for a candidate to sign onto, which were signed by Nawrocki. Former candidates Marek Jakubiak, Marek Woch, Grzegorz Braun and Artur Bartoszewicz endorsed Nawrocki in the runoff. On 1 June 2025, Nawrocki won the runoff election with 50.9% of votes, beating Trzaskowski, who received 49.1% of votes. Controversies Nawrocki was the subject of various affairs during the 2025 presidential election. Speculation began on whether PiS would replace Nawrocki when it was revealed that he had contact with a future criminal during his time as a boxer two decades prior, for which he was attacked by opposing politicians. Polling showed, however, that the vast plurality of people did not expect Nawrocki to be replaced. Nawrocki would continue being PiS' presidential candidate going into the first round and would face further controversies about his private life. During the course of the campaign, public criticism emerged over Nawrocki's acquisition of a second apartment from an elderly man in pre-trial detention. As Nawrocki had declared to own just one apartment during a debate, Onet.pl publicised information about him owning a second one. The candidate proceeded to declare that he had acquired the second apartment from the elderly man for pledging lifelong care in exchange; however, it was revealed the man was placed in a state care facility without Nawrocki's involvement. Amid accusations of exploitation, Nawrocki defended the deal's legality and donated the property to charity, after which some journalists claimed the man regained access to the property. He also stated he had regularly tried to visit the elderly man, but without success. Throughout the second round, Nawrocki encountered a set of new controversies involving his personal life, beginning with the revelation that he had previously participated in a 70 vs 70 football hooligans' fight () between fans of Lechia Gdańsk and Lech Poznań. Facing criticism, he said that Prime Minister Tusk likewise participated in football hooliganism in his youth, and called the fights "noble battles". It also came to light that Nawrocki had Chelsea and Lechia Gdańsk tattoos on his torso. Further controversies about Nawrocki's personal background emerged due to allegations of him having worked as a bodyguard for prostitutes at the five-star Grand Hotel in Sopot in his youth and using a nicotine pouch while on air during a presidential debate, which raised concerns about a possible nicotine addiction. == President of Poland (2025–present) ==

Nawrocki was inaugurated as president of Poland on 6 August 2025, succeeding Andrzej Duda. On the same day he participated in the ceremony of accepting the authority of the President of Poland on the Polish Armed Forces. Domestic policy Relations with the Prime Minister and government The first months of Nawrocki's presidency were marked by a confrontational stance against Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his ruling coalition, citing his large and recent social mandate after the recent presidential election. Nawrocki views Tusk as the worst Prime Minister of the Third Polish Republic, but expresses willingness to work with him regardless. Analysts consider the downfall of Tusk's coalition and early parliamentary elections as a goal for Nawrocki, with him also seen as competing with Tusk's government in matters of lawmaking and governance despite the president having a primarily representative role, announcing he is seeking a "new formula of cooperation" between the President and parliament. Nawrocki held his first meeting with Tusk on 14 August, and on 27 August convened the first , oriented on finances, investments and agriculture. Partisan affiliations Karol Nawrocki was elected primarily with support of the right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party and, despite being officially independent, was considered the PiS candidate in the 2025 presidential election. However, Nawrocki's affiliation as a "PiS president" is debated, with some suggesting he could be a more independent president, or could cooperate with the far-right Confederation as well, despite its libertarian economic policies conflicting with PiS. Alongside seeking to empower his role in governance of the country Nawrocki is perceived as aspiring to lead the "right wing" of politics, possibly threatening the position of established political leaders such as Jarosław Kaczyński. Constitutional reform At his inaugural speech, Nawrocki announced intention to create a new Constitution by 2030, announcing the creation of a Council for the Reform of the System of the State (). Soon after, Paweł Szefernaker, Nawrocki's appointed cabinet chief, elaborated that Nawrocki aims to empower the presidency. According to RMF FM, the Council is to be chaired by presidential advisor Dariusz Dudek, and seek to reform, among others, the form of government from the current to a semi-presidential system. Legislative initiatives and vetoes Part of Nawrocki's conflict strategy against the Tusk cabinet is to use his privilege as president to introduce laws to parliament and to reshape coalition legislation by vetoing laws and re-submitting them with the disputed provisions removed. abolish PIT for families with more than one child, increase the income tax threshold to an annual income of 140,000 PLN, extend the prohibition of sale of Polish land to foreigners. On 21 August, Nawrocki for the first time used the presidential veto against an omnibus bill regarding wind turbine deregulation and the extension of energy price freeze period, criticizing the deregulation as pushed by a wind turbine lobby and unsafe, stating he would propose his own price freeze bill. On 3 November 2025, Nawrocki introduced a proposed bill titled "Retiring with Dignity", which would rise the minimum wage to 2,000 PLN (up from 1,878 PLN), and introduce the indexation of social pensions both as a percentage and by a fixed amount, with a guaranteed increase of at least 150 PLN for lowest pensions. Dual pension indexation was one of the Tusk's 100 pledges in the 2023 election. Historical policy During his presidency, Nawrocki has been opposed to fascist Ukrainian symbolism and activities. Nawrocki pursued the criminalisation of Banderite ideology in Poland, including the equalisation of Banderite symbols with Nazi and communist symbolism. On 31 August 2025, the 45th anniversary of the August Agreements which created the Solidarity trade union, Nawrocki criticized former union leader and president Lech Wałęsa, stating that while Wałęsa cannot be forgotten, he must be correctly and truthfully remembered. Nawrocki advocates for pursuing World War II reparations from Germany, which Poland never received. On a WW2 anniversary on 1 September 2025, Nawrocki "unequivocally" demanded Germany pays Poland war reparations worth over 6 trillion PLN (1.4 trillion Euros), continuing the course set by the Law and Justice party. During a visit to Germany in September 2025, Nawrocki attempted to discuss the topic of war reparations, but was rejected, with Germany stating that the matter of war reparations is "definitively regulated". An alternative solution to paying war reparations proposed by Nawrocki was for Poland to receive financial aid for its military industry. Foreign policy According to analysts, the dispute over whether the President or Prime Minister should represent Poland at international meetings is an axis of conflict between Tusk and Nawrocki, titled as a "war for the seat". On 13 August, Nawrocki represented Poland at a teleconference of Trump and European leaders regarding the upcoming 2025 Russia–United States summit in Alaska, a change from Tusk previously representing the country in international conferences. However, the lack of any Polish representation at an 18 August White house meeting caused controversy, with some blaming Nawrocki for not representing the country at the meeting. During his presidency, Nawrocki attended many international meetings, and in September 2025, Nawrocki began travelling abroad. In September alone, he visited: 3 September — the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump, 5 September — a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella in Rome; 8 September — in Vilnius with President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda; 9 September — in Helsinki with President of Finland Alexander Stubb; 16 September — a meeting in Berlin with Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; and with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Paris; 21–24 September — a visit to the United States in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to meet with the local Polish diaspora, and New York for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Soon after his inauguration, Nawrocki was invited to the White House by President of the United States Donald Trump. With Nawrocki bringing no Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegates to the meeting, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski met separately with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On 3 September, Nawrocki arrived to the meeting, where Trump affirmed his intention to maintain the presence of American troops in Poland and invited Nawrocki to the upcoming G20 summit in Florida. In 2025, Nawrocki cancelled a planned meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. One of Nawrocki's Chancellery members, Marcin Przydacz, explained how the president disapproved of Orbán's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the fact that the Hungarian leader had recently visited the Russian president. Przydacz added that president Nawrocki will seek to limit his diplomatic contacts with Orbán solely to Visegrád Group meetings. Foreign policy stances toward the European Union As president, Nawrocki opposes the EU–Mercosur Association Agreement, promising to uphold the slogan "Polish farmer, Polish field, Polish bread on the Polish table" (). Nawrocki opposes the implementation of the EU Digital Services Act as proposed by the Tusk government, with the members of his Chancellery calling the proposed ability of the President of the Office of Electronic Communications to block content "too far-reaching". Foreign policy stances toward Ukraine In August 2025, Nawrocki vetoed a bill that would have extended financial support for Ukrainian refugees of the Russo-Ukrainian war not employed in Poland as well as funding for Starlink systems to maintain Ukraine's internet connectivity. Nawrocki was invited to meet with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in its capital city, Kyiv, but Nawrocki rejected the invitation, suggesting that Zelenskyy should come to Poland instead. Nawrocki's response was supported by public opinion. Presidential nominations and Chancellery }} On 7 August 2025, Karol Nawrocki selected his appointees to the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland (KPRP) — Zbigniew Bogucki as Chief of the Chancellery, clashing with Law and Justice's intention to seat Przemysław Czarnek in the position, Adam Andruszkiewicz as Deputy Chief of the Chancellery, Jarosław Dębowski as Deputy Chief of the Cabinet, Paweł Szefernaker as Chief of the Cabinet, Marcin Przydacz as Chief of the Bureau for International Policy, Rafał Leśkiewicz as the Press Spokesperson, Wojciech Kolarski as Secretary of State, Agnieszka Jędrzak, Mateusz Kotecki, Karol Rabenda as Undersecretaries of State, and Magdalena Głowa as General Director of the Chancellery. Nawrocki also appointed Jarosław Wąsowicz as his presidential chaplain. Sławomir Cenckiewicz was appointed as the Chief of the National Security Bureau, with and as his deputies. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland protested Cenckiewicz's appointment, restricting his access from secret information on 5 August, and New Left poseł Tomasz Trela suggested that Cenckiewicz's nomination should be withdrawn. Regardless, Cenckiewicz accepted Nawrocki's nomination. However, he resigned on 22 April 2026. Nawrocki's appointees came from two groups: Dębowski, Cenckiewicz, Jędrzak, Kotecki and Leśkiewicz were Nawrocki's coworkers at the Institute of National Remembrance. On 18 August, Nawrocki appointed several presidential advisors: Jarosław Bujak, Dariusz Dudek, Piotr Głowacki, Radosław Gruk, Paweł Gruza, Magdalena Hajduk, Jan Kasprzyk, Beata Kempa, Tomasz Obszański, Błażej Poboży, Barbara Socha, Krzysztof Wacławek, Łukasz Witek, and social advisors: Wanda Buk, Piotr Czauderna, Alvin Gajadhur, Bogdan Kubiak, Sławomir Mazurek, Andrzej Nowak, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski and Leszek Skiba. Other presidential nominations included: ==Political views==

, 1 May 2025 Nawrocki is considered a nonpartisan, but with a conservative outlook. Nawrocki describes himself as a "representative of the broadly defined patriotic camp", and stresses that he has never belonged to a political party. He considers himself a "citizens' candidate" that will end the "Polish-Polish war". He declared that he is ready to support "any Polish government that demands the exhumation of Polish victims in Volhynia", and describes issues of history and social accountability as his "demarcation lines". Euronews describes the political alignment of Nawrocki's campaign as "patriotic, pro-Christian, pro-NATO and favourable to president Donald Trump". Xinhua described Nawrocki's values as "prioritizing national sovereignty, Catholic social teaching, and skepticism toward the EU". Social issues Nawrocki is a Catholic with culturally conservative views; he accused the ruling coalition and LGBT groups of "sexualising children". He stated that he strongly opposes "reinterpreting gender identity", and would allow "no compromises", demonstratively throwing a copy of the cover of Gender Queer: A Memoir into a paper shredder in 2025. Nawrocki supports maintaining close ties between the Catholic Church in Poland and the Polish government, the broad criminalisation of abortion, and opposes the legalisation of same-sex marriage, civil unions or extending legal rights to people in same-sex relationships, citing Catholic sexual ethics. During the campaign, Nawrocki stated: "There is a male sex and a female sex. And if anyone defies that, they don't understand the present, the past, or the future", and "marriage is a union between a man and a woman." Nawrocki also opposes euthanasia, and his position on abortion has been described as "even more conservative than that of PiS itself"; He holds anti-communist views, and has criticised the Polish education system, claiming that it is controlled by the "post-communist party environment". In February 2024, he was listed as one of the persons wanted by the Russian Federation on criminal charges for the removal of monuments commemorating the Red Army erected in the Polish People's Republic in the years 1944–1989. He has described cursed soldiers as national heroes of Poland and praised PiS for implementing a National Remembrance Day in their honour. He is an opponent of the EU's migration policy and wishes to terminate the EU's migration pact. Economics Nawrocki's program has been described as economically interventionist, economically nationalist, and economically left-wing. He pledged to implement new policies that will combat "unfair competition" in the Polish economy. Nawrocki describes himself as a strong supporter of armaments and social investment programmes. In a speech in which he accepted Law and Justice's endorsement for his candidacy, Nawrocki pledged to abolish all overtime labor tax and to focus on large economic investments; he strongly supports the Central Communication Port project, and praised the Central Industrial Region and Stocznia Gdynia schemes developed in the interwar Second Polish Republic. Nawrocki expressed his fascination with other large investments such as the Vistula Spit canal and Świnoujście LNG terminal, and wants to pursue similar undertakings. Nawrocki calls for "a welfare state with zero VAT on food". He promised to increase social spending, welfare benefits and pensions; he also supports welfare programmes and opposes adopting the Euro as Poland's currency. He stresses the lack of transport in Poland and has pledged to develop rail infrastructure in underdeveloped regions of the country. Nawrocki proposes to enact an additional tax on the owners of three and more apartments, with an exemption for families with children. His other proposals include abolishing tax on savings and increasing the annual indexation of pensions. He also expressed welfare chauvinist views - believing that Poles are "treated worse in their own country than immigrants", Nawrocki argues that social benefits in Poland should be for Poles only, and pensions for Ukrainian immigrants should be eliminated; additionally, Polish citizens should have a priority in healthcare, school and kindergarten queues. Nawrocki is also considered to align with "Trumpian tariffs and protectionism". He objected to the Tusk government's cut in healthcare contributions for businesses and stated that he opposes any attempt to reduce healthcare funding. Nawrocki also signed a list of 11 pledges, including promises to not raise the retirement age, and to uphold worker protections, defend minimum wages, retain the ban on Sunday business activity, to promote economic patriotism, and to increase funding for the public health service and agriculture. Based on these pledges, he was endorsed by Poland's Solidarity trade union. He supports additional taxes on "digital giants operating online and targeting Polish users" and the expansion of social housing. He argues that Poland needs to achieve "full energy sovereignty". He supports nuclear energy, describing it as "the most secure and stable one". He also criticised the European Green Deal, stating that while he supports environmental protection, he opposes "climate madness at the expense of Polish homes, workers and entrepreneurs". Nawrocki also believes that Poland needs to ensure its food security and respect "the sovereignty of the Polish countryside"; he has described rural Poland as "the mainstay of Polish culture, traditions and social values". He advocated for reducing the value-added tax rate from 23% to 22% during the 2025 campaign, as well as an exemption from personal income tax for families with two or more children. He also pledged to veto blanket tax increases. Foreign policy Karol Nawrocki has emphasised in his statements that the geopolitical interest of the Polish state lies in pushing back the Russian Federation. According to him, the foundation of Poland's security is a strong position within NATO and a close alliance with the United States. He would seek to punish the glorification of Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera. Nawrocki distanced himself from the former pro-Ukrainian policy of PiS and criticized Ukraine for acting against Polish interests. He was accused of anti-Ukrainian sentiment, and "echoing Kremlin talking points about Ukraine". Responding to the accusations of speaking "Putin's language" on Ukraine, Nawrocki stated: "I speak the language of Polish people. Millions want to say that Zelensky mistreats us, but they're silenced with 'you're spreading Putin's propaganda'." He was criticised in Israel for downplaying the role of Poles in the Holocaust. Nawrocki said he would defend Poland "against all disgusting attacks" by Holocaust scholars. Poland's foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, publicly defended Nawrocki in response to the criticism. During the election campaign, Nawrocki defended the 2018 amendment that criminalized attributing responsibility for the Holocaust to the Polish nation, stating: "I am fighting for this truth. Poles are not antisemites. Many Poles lost their lives during World War II saving Jews." When asked about Israel, Nawrocki expressed his belief that "there is no state that is a chosen nation to live out its history". He also promised to end the tradition of lighting Hanukkah candles in the Presidential Palace, stating that commitment to Christian values would exclude celebrating Jewish holidays. == Personal life ==

Karol Nawrocki is married to Marta Nawrocka (born in 1986), a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Gdańsk and an employee of the National Revenue Administration. She specialises in the control of the oil industry and combating illegal trade. Together, they have two children: a son Antoni and a daughter, Katarzyna. They also raised Daniel (born in 2003), Marta Nawrocka's son from a previous relationship. After Nawrocki's election in 2025, he initially moved into the Belweder, but in October of the same year moved to the Presidential Palace. Daniel Nawrocki studies at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Gdańsk. He is involved in journalism, working for Gazeta Morska and previously for Dziennik Bałtycki. In 2023, he was appointed a member of the Youth Sports Council under the Minister of Sport. He was also a member of the Youth Council of the City of Gdańsk and now serves as a neighborhood councilor. In 2024, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Gdańsk City Council as a candidate of the Law and Justice party. == Public image ==

Public approval During the first months of Nawrocki's presidency, he maintained a positive approval rating, being one of Poland's most approved politicians. His popularity was highest among Polish youth, with a United Surveys poll showing 73% approval among respondents aged 18–29, and lowest among those over 70, where approval stood at 42%. Sports Nawrocki's image is tied to sports, especially football and boxing. During the early stages of his 2025 presidential campaign, Nawrocki appeared in workout videos, and compared himself to Rocky, with his campaign merchandise portraying catchphrase "Now Rocky", a play on his surname. Nawrocki's participation in a football hooligans' fight () between fans of Lechia Gdańsk and Lech Poznań was controversial, attracting praise and criticism. Since his inauguration, Nawrocki maintained his athletic and football-fan image, seen working out or attending football matches in Poland and on foreign visits. Polityka argues Nawrocki wants to be a "patron of football fans". Public engagement on 15 August 2025 Nawrocki's image as president has been compared to President of the United States Donald Trump. Nawrocki was described as a president close to the people, a "people's president" or tribune of the people (). He was also applauded for actively representing Poland in international visits. Besides exercising in public, Nawrocki also appeared in public with various members of the public, including eating a kebab with youth from a remote village as part of a casual campaign promise and speaking with Polish citizens who called out for him during a visit to the United States. During his 2025 presidential campaign, Nawrocki portrayed himself as a nonpartisan "citizens' candidate" (), and as an authentic "flesh and bone man" (). Independence March appearance Nawrocki appeared at the 2025 Independence March on 11 November. == Honours and awards ==