As President Andrzej Duda, a Law and Justice statesman, was set to end his second and final term, Polish politicos expected the party’s last stronghold in national politics to be lost to their center-left rivals.

When Nawrocki finished the first round of the presidential election less than 2% behind Civic Platform candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, the odds-on favorite, that narrative shifted dramatically. After two weeks of high-octane campaigning ahead of the final round, the underdog outsider emerged victorious on Sunday.

Nawrocki, 42, is seen as a clean slate for a conservative movement in Poland that hopes to join the growing worldwide coalition for “normality” that they believe is being led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The election outcome symbolizes ascending nationalism in Poland and growing disillusionment with the liberal reforms championed by the governing Civic Platform party, chaired by Tusk.

Tusk endorsed Civic Platform candidate Trzaskowski, a left-wing centrist and current mayor of Warsaw.

Trzaskowski conceded defeat not long after the results were published, acknowledging Nawrocki’s victory but striking a distinctly crestfallen tone.

“I fought for us to build a strong, safe, honest, and empathetic Poland together,” Trzaskowski wrote on social media following his defeat. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to convince the majority of citizens of my vision for Poland. I’m sorry we didn’t win together.”

The Polish president can veto legislation domestically, a privilege Nawrocki is expected to liberally use to oppose Tusk’s reforms. However, a three-fifths majority in parliament can override this power.

Nawrocki is a staunch social conservative in line with Poland’s Catholic heritage. He is outspoken against liberalizing the country’s attitudes toward abortion, accommodations for LGBT lifestyles, and secularization.

But most concerning for his critics is the presidential office’s array of powers on the international level.

Nawrocki will be the nation’s preeminent foreign policy leader, and his attention is focused much more on Washington, D.C., than Brussels.

He is highly critical of European Union policies that he believes threaten the nation’s sovereignty. He believes Poland must reassert its sovereignty in the face of these alleged encroachments.

Much of Tusk’s progressive reforms have been done at least partially to appease EU organs that deemed Polish politics incongruous with other Western liberal democracies. Duda has ignored these attempts to cater to Germany and Belgium, and Nawrocki is expected to continue the obstruction.

Nawrocki also stands athwart the EU’s push for greater solidarity with Ukraine.

He has been critical of Poland becoming too involved in the Russia-Ukraine War, promising to unilaterally block any attempts to bring the smaller state into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

That position did not stop Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from congratulating the next Polish president and appealing for “continued fruitful cooperation with Poland and with President Nawrocki personally.”

“Poland, which preserves the strength of its national spirit and its faith in justice, has been and remains a pillar of regional and European security, and a strong voice defending freedom and dignity for every nation,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “By reinforcing one another on our continent, we give greater strength to Europe in global competition and bring the achievement of real and lasting peace closer.”

Distrust from fellow European nations is counter-balanced by the enthusiastic support received from the White House.

Nawrocki enjoys the public support of high-profile administration officials such as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who vouched for the candidate last week at a Conservative Political Action Conference event in Warsaw.

“I just had the opportunity to meet with Karol and listen — he needs to be the next president of Poland,” Noem told the crowd in her speech. “Do you understand me?”

The Homeland Security secretary promised that if Poland elects “a leader that will work with President Donald J. Trump,” the Polish people “will be able to fight off enemies that do not share your values.”

“You will have strong borders and protect your communities and keep them safe, and ensure that your citizens are respected every single day,” she continued. “You will continue to have a U.S. presence here, a military presence. And you will have equipment that is American-made, that is high quality.”

In the weeks before his victory, Nawrocki solidified his ideological coalition with Trump when the two met during the White House’s National Day of Prayer event.

While the Law and Justice party’s victory signals changing public opinion in Poland, it is important to acknowledge the thin margins of this latest victory.

Nawrocki’s victory was razor-thin, triumphing with 50.89% against the 49.11% of votes brought home by Trzaskowski.

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The new president will have five years in office before facing reelection. He is constitutionally limited to two terms.

The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2027. Nawrocki and his party will undoubtedly make every effort to weaken Tusk’s influence before then, hoping to claim the prime minister’s office next.