Trump says Poland will pay for US base; 88.6% of Poles back it in poll
Trump said before leaving for an Alaska rally that Poland wants to build the base and will pay for it. A United Surveys poll for Wirtualna Polska found 88.6% support for a permanent US base.
Trump's remarks before the Alaska rally
On Tuesday, 13 October, Donald Trump answered a question about the base in Poland as he was about to leave for a campaign rally in Alaska. He said Poland wants to build the base and that Poland will pay for it, and he added that the outcome would be seen later. It was the latest in a series of comments in which he has repeatedly pointed toward a permanent base in Poland without giving a clear answer. Under the present arrangement, US soldiers are stationed in Poland mainly on a rotational basis. A permanent presence would mean specific US units stationed for longer periods, with infrastructure and facilities for soldiers and their families.
Whether the decision has been made
Polish government representatives and the presidential chancellery have said the decision has in practice already been taken. Marcin Przydacz, head of the president's International Policy Bureau, spoke with US administration representatives on 2 October and told PAP that the White House had given its green light. He said the Pentagon, the Ministry of National Defence and the Polish military still have to carry out the decision in practice. Przydacz also said it would become clear whether the base was built when Trump next visits to open it.
Definitively, whether the base is built or not, we will know when, I hope, President Trump comes someday to open this base in Poland.
Polish public opinion
A United Surveys by IBRiS poll for Wirtualna Polska, conducted 2-4 October 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adult Poles, found that 88.6% support a permanent US base in Poland. The poll has a margin of error of 3%, at a 0.95 confidence level. Respondents were also asked about the name 'Fort Trump', which President Karol Nawrocki proposed for the planned base. Of those polled, 39.6% support the base and say the name does not matter, while 35.6% support it but want a different name. A further 13.4% back both the base and the name Fort Trump, 7.0% oppose the base, and 4.4% don't know.
- Support, name does not matter
- 39.6 %
- Support, different name
- 35.6 %
- Support, Fort Trump name
- 13.4 %
- Oppose
- 7 %
- Don't know
- 4.4 %
Location, cost and the name
Defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the beginning of October that the US choice of location is unlikely to change and concerns western Poland. Poznań, Wrocław and Bydgoszcz are being seriously considered as sites, according to him. He estimated the cost of infrastructure for a permanent US presence at 15 to 17 billion zloty on the Polish side. In a Bloomberg interview, Nawrocki said he hopes the plans will be finalised and that, if they are, the base will be named Fort Trump. Trump has also said he would look at a possible base in Lithuania.
Timeline of statements
- Trump posts on Truth Social that significant progress has been made toward a US Army base in Poland
- Marcin Przydacz says the White House green light is already in place after talks with US administration representatives
- Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz names Poznań, Wrocław and Bydgoszcz as serious candidate cities
- Trump says Poland wants to build the base and will pay for it
On 17 September, Trump posted on Truth Social that significant progress had been made toward a US Army base in Poland, crediting Nawrocki's leadership, and said the location would be announced soon if the base goes ahead. On 2 October Przydacz held talks with US administration representatives, and early in October Kosiniak-Kamysz named the western Polish cities under consideration. The poll was fielded from 2 to 4 October. On Tuesday, 13 October, Trump said Poland would pay for the base.
