Adam Michnik’s Gazeta Wyborcza has once again launched a fierce and crude attack on Karol Nawrocki, the civic candidate for Poland’s presidency. This time, the newspaper criticized his travel expenses, conveniently ignoring their context, purpose, and significance. However, Nawrocki dismantled Gazeta Wyborcza’s narrative with one striking comparison.
According to the newspaper, Nawrocki, currently the head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) and formerly the director of the Museum of the Second World War, took numerous international trips in his previous roles. Their investigation revealed that his travel expenses totaled nearly 800,000 PLN, with the most expensive trip—to Australia and New Zealand—costing over 120,000 PLN.
In response, Nawrocki posted a video on Elon Musk’s X, arguing that his total travel expenses barely exceeded the cost of a single public restroom built in Warsaw for 650,000 PLN during Rafał Trzaskowski’s tenure as mayor. He emphasized the importance of Polish-New Zealand relations during World War II and detailed his participation in the first global forum of battlefield museums. He also highlighted meetings such as one with a woman from Pearl Harbor, which he referred to as the “American Westerplatte.”
Hawaje Nawrockiego etc. to równowartość #SzaletTrzaskowskiego pic.twitter.com/1o6QDeKkHs
— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) February 12, 2025
Dismissing allegations of excessive spending, Nawrocki insisted that his trips were not mere “excursions” but rather part of a broader mission to promote Polish history worldwide. He pointed out that his exhibition on World War II had reached 156 locations across the globe. His visits included Japan, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki—key sites in historical discourse.
Since taking over IPN in 2021, Nawrocki has traveled to Zimbabwe, Mexico, and Argentina, with Gazeta Wyborcza reporting that his IPN-related trips cost 326,000 PLN. His earlier travels as museum director amounted to 463,000 PLN. His international engagements spanned visits to Moscow, Helsinki, Riga, and multiple U.S. cities in 2018, followed by Brussels, Chisinau, Bucharest, and a 12-day research trip to China and Japan in 2019.
Gazeta Wyborcza’s Emotional Manipulation in the Election Campaign
The controversy arises amid the ongoing presidential campaign, where Nawrocki, supported by the opposition PiS, faces criticism from political adversaries. Gazeta Wyborcza, known for its critical stance toward the ruling party before the 2023 elections, has focused on Nawrocki’s travel costs while avoiding scrutiny of similar expenditures under other public institutions, including those under Donald Tusk’s government.
Nawrocki has repeatedly emphasized that his international visits served to promote Poland’s historical legacy and strengthen global ties within the framework of national memory policy. His response suggests that the attacks against him are politically motivated, rather than based on genuine concern over public spending.