... Hungary is being led under a "democratic" authoritian government as well under their PM Viktor Orban. Very similar rethoritic, very similar populist policies where the broad appeal is in rural and less wealthy parts of their countries, socially right wing while fisicially centerist or left wing. The public broadcasters in both countries have been purged of anyone working there who hold even slight dissidence or nonconformity to the government line. Slovakia has had similar struggles on a smaller scale until recently as well - mostly anti immigration rethoritic particularly around the time of the Syrian refugee crises but otherwise not the same level of populism or public media purging.
I do have a little bit of sympathy for the Poles here - as a ethnic nation over the last number of centuries it has rarely had much time to have had a country that they could rightfully call their own without being under the boot of one or more empires in central and eastern Europe at the same time, and the Russians are particularly mistrusted by them. You only have to look at the history between the two over the last century to see why. Therefore they are quite fearful of Putin's shows of military strength which lies too close for comfort for a lot of Poles. Not to mention the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, home of the Russian Navy's Baltic Sea fleet and which has a land border with Poland. The Law & Justice Party (Pis) that makes up the current Polish government has its strongest support in the east of the country as well.
The problem of course is that getting into bed with Trump, and wanting to be BFF with him, could have repercussions. There is little appetite among most other European countries in NATO for a significant increase in American military presence in the continent especially as it has been winding down the last 25 years. The Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania) all share the same worries as Poland does of Russia flexing its muscles but neither of them have suggested having an openly American army presence based in their own countries, rather they would have a general combined NATO force to help protect them. Hungary's Orban, despite the similar style of governing he shares with PiS, doesn't have the same concerns on Russia, at least in public.
One big issue for PiS however is that while they are sceptical of the EU, by no means at this time at least do they want to leave it. If they tried to do a "Pexit" they would have even less leverage to negotiate an exit deal with the EU than the UK has, the Polish economy has also been able to grow fairly steadily ever since it joined the EU through two main means. One being that Poland is one of the biggest recipients of EU development aid money for infrastructure, and another is the advantage taken by a lot of young, educated Polish men and women to seek work in richer parts of the EU through freedom of movement. This has allowed Poland to keep its unemployment levels to look much better than they were in the 90's with its young adults free to go abroad for opportunities, with an advantage that the Poles are often regarded as hard workers who'll do job the locals/natives won't - the flip side to that however is a brain drain lost to the country even if many of them will return home after a few years saving up abroad, and while that happens many of those left behind tend to vote PiS. PiS are terrified of the wealthier EU countries like Germany and the UK (for now) putting stronger restrictions on their citizens in terms of what they can claim from social security payments like unemployment allowances and child benefit any more than what is mandated by the EU. Poland needs to have friends next door to it that at least somewhat care to help keep the likes of Russian under Putin at bay. An isolated Poland would be vulnerable.
P. S. I've met quite a lot of Polish people who have come over to N. Ireland to work now for some years, and they've been a good bunch to mix with. You get the odd bad apple but it's no worse than what's been in your own neighbourhood for as long as you remember, and of course there is a large minority element in Poland that holds some very xenophobic, bigoted, racist views that are deep rooted in strong Catholic traditionalist views that isn't as progressive leaning than elsewhere in Europe. But it would be unfair to describe Poland and its people that way the same way as if I described the US and Americans as obese, inbred uncultured redneck loudmouths whose Sundays are spent first having sex with their sister, then going to church, then getting back home to screw their cousin. Of course that might describe a few of them, but definitely, DEFINITELY not to tar all the people of a country with such a broad brush!
Oh, and P.P.S if Trump is trying to wrangle money out of any European country that current has an American military base there where their governments are struggling to meet funding needed for schools, healthcare, roads and public transport etc. the public sentiment in most places will be to tell Cheeto Jesus with the small paws "Goodbye then, and don't let the door hit your arse on the way out!"
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