An important feature of populism, which is distinctive from democracy and allows it to come closer to authoritarianism, is the category of fear. As a universal emotion accompanying human beings, it constitutes an important reference for describing political phenomena. An example of a politician who has turned fear into an effective tool for gaining and maintaining power is Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Poland’s largest right-wing party, the PiS. Being one of the most recognisable contemporary Polish politicians, he arouses extremely extreme emotions. Opponents describe him as a right-wing radical who, using arguments of fear and exclusion, alludes to populist rhetoric. Supporters, on the other hand, see him as a true patriot, a guardian of Polish history and a defender of national tradition in the face of the threat posed by the secular West. The analysis of Kaczyński’s speeches allows us to conclude that the views he formulates, being part of populist rhetoric, have become a basic tool in the fear management strategy. The content and the context of his speeches based on the ‘threat-remedy’ scheme made it possible to verify the hypothesis of Kaczyński as a populist leader using the aforementioned strategy. This was confirmed in the presented programme line of PiS. An important instrument of policymaking by the party and its leader turned out to be a fear management strategy, mainly to strengthen its own electorate. This is evident in relation to threats considered key in the perspective of the political goals pursued: European Union, Germany, immigrants, LGBT, and nihilism.