And Christian Fraser is in london. On the eve of a trip to shmooze with the worlds elite, the us president appears to have launched the first salvo in his long promised trade war. It is classic disruptive trump. In anticipation that tariffs against asian goods are only the beginning of mr trumps populist mission, markets in latin america also fell on the news. Last year the chinese president xi jinping delighted davos with a robust defense of free trade. They will get know such globalist love from the new american leader. And a the hefty tarrifs on chinese washing machines and solar panels have already angered china and other us trade partners. So, how will davos react to President Trump . Today one of the opening speakers, indias narenda modi gave us a clue. Translation forces of protectionism are raising their heads against globalisation. Their intention, is not only to avoid globalisation themselves, but they also want to reverse its natural flow. The result of all of this is that we get to witness new types of tariff and nontariff barriers. Bilateral and multilateral trade agreements and the negotiations have come to a kind of standstill. Joining us from davos is our Business Editor simonjack and from washingtonjon sopel our north america editor north america editor simon, it shows they are still releva nt, simon, it shows they are still relevant, but i think some nervousness trump will eviscerate them on friday . It has been set up very nicely, president xi came to extol the virtues of globalisation and gota extol the virtues of globalisation and got a warm welcome, and modi stepped into those shoes. South korea have said they will sue the wto, so a lot of anger. Voices within the us including Michael Bloomberg have said us households will pay for this and it will cost usjobs. So some clear fault lines drawn before President Trump arrives. Having said that, there is widespread euphoria, almost, about some of the tax reforms he has made. People see that as a real dose of rocket fuel into the global economy. I would say the atmosphere is economically very buoyant. Some would say it is too buoyant, and everyone is in a good mood and that isa everyone is in a good mood and that is a bad sign. But on this issue of protectionism versus free trade it is nicely teed up for the president to arrive on friday. Jon sopel, just a hunch but i think the white house decided to drop this tariff bombshell deliberately this week, so he can go back to his base and say, iam he can go back to his base and say, i am still he can go back to his base and say, iam stilla he can go back to his base and say, i am still a populist . I have spoken to someone who has seen a draft of the speech he plans to deliver on friday and the phrase they can use, andl friday and the phrase they can use, and i hope i can say this, is kick ass. He will not be cosying up to the global elite, he will give a bit of trumpism and america first, look at what we are doing in our own backyard, we are cutting taxes, the stock market is soaring and Everybody Loves what i am doing. Yes, i believe in free trade but i believe in fair trade and at the moment the scales are tilted against the us. Business leaders went in to see the president last friday, begging him not to do anything that could upset the apple cart, like pulling out of nafta and it seems like their message could have fallen oii like their message could have fallen on deaf ears . Why michael simon, what is the long term or medium term imprecations on these rises on solar panels and washing machines, does one retaliation lead to another and then we end up looking like a trade war . Several Business Leaders have said it is looking rosy underworld, economic front. We have Global Growth forecast of 4 . The one thing they say can derail that is a trade war between the us and china. Secretly, they suspect, asjon sopel was saying, this is a message to his domestic audience and the bark on these things is often worse than the bike. But the tariffs proposals are real and they have brought up real dissatisfaction. And if that can upset the apple cart and make people put them of their champagne here in davos it is the prospect of a trade war with china. That prospect has not retreated one inch as a result of this announcement. Some of the mood music is america is withdrawing from the world stage. We have news that countries within the Trans Pacific that countries within the tra ns Pacific Partnership that countries within the Trans Pacific partnership are pressing on, signing up to the deal in march. We havejust had a comment from Justin Trudeau who says the new deal will help reverse the growing trend of protectionism around the world. Is that why President Trump is going, so he is still relevant . think he saw what happened last year with president xi getting the headlines and the attention. When he saw president macron on bastille day, he said to him you should go to davos, set out your case and go to these world leaders, there are loads of them there. I think he thought it would be fun and engaging and it is interesting, the basketball term is a full court press. The huge number of the cabinets of his cabinet, are going over to davos as well. They wa nt going over to davos as well. They want to sell their message, they dont want to be shy about doing that and they think it is a worthwhile exercise and a different argument to be put. That is the conventional argument heard at davos. You were quickly going to come back on back, simon . Yes, everyone is super keen to see president macron. There is a big romance going on between Emmanuel Macron and some of the bank chiefs. And on the point of the reality prospect of a trade war with china, global trade has picked up very aggressively in the last year. So even a threat of a falling out between the us and china hasnt stopped the engines of trade firing oii stopped the engines of trade firing on all cylinders. Thank you very much. Nothing would make President Trump happier that he has put the champagne cork back in the bottle in davos and bursts of the celebratory balloon that is invading that town. The tarrifs the president has imposed are the most significant measures he has taken since withdrawing from the Trans Pacific partnership. There will be a futher decision taken in the coming weeks with regards to steel and aluminium. On washing machines, the Us International trade Commission Found local manufactures were being hurt by imports, many of them from south korea. So there will be a minimum 20 tarrif slapped on imported machines. The itc found that chinese Solar Panel Manufacturers were getting government subsidies and undercutting american competitors. Initially there will a 30 tarrif imposed on solar cells and components. Although 11 million panels will still be allowed into america tarrif free each year. In the last few minutes the president has been talking about these tariffs. Lets see what he has had to say. We are bringing business back to the United States after many years, many decades. That is why the stock market is reacting the way it is. Thank you all very much, very proud. Thank you. The chinese have responded and that those puts a strain on the relationship with south korea and the president needs south korea when hes dealing with north korea. But the whole trip to davos is interesting. He likes the fact hes going there to ruffle feathers, he is the ultimate disruptor and wants to go to this Global Environment and preach protectionism and nationalism and poke them in the eye. And that is what his supporters here want to see him doing as well. Putting america first. There will be a lot of people in america who are saying, washing Machine Companies and Solar Panel Manufacturers, taking state subsidies and manufacturing with cheap labour, exporting into our country and taking away american jobs. That is why they voted in donald trump. Lets see what happens when those Consumer Prices go up and there is a slowdown in the economy because of any trade war. That could because of any trade war. That could bea because of any trade war. That could be a problem for the american economy. Mr trump can go to davos because the Us Government is back up and running. Mrtrump is blaming democrats for the shutdown and suggesting a future deal to protect the children of undocumented migrants is by no means sure. Nobody knows for sure that the republicans and democrats will be able to reach a deal on daca by february eight, but everyone will be trying, with a big additional focus put on military strength and Border Security. The dems have just learned that a shutdown is not the answer a political ploy by democrats that backfired is how it was described by spokesperson for the Republican National committee, kayleigh mcena ny. Shes the author of the book, the new American Revolution and joins us now from washington. Thank you for coming on. The people you spoke to when you were researching your book, what would they make of this shindig in davos . I think they would love it. I sat side of two factory workers who lost their job. Side of two factory workers who lost theirjob. Donald side of two factory workers who lost their job. Donald trump side of two factory workers who lost theirjob. Donald trump brought back those jobs before he became President Trump but they were frustrated. They felt they were left behind by government. One voted for Bernie Sanders and the other one voted for donald trump. But they like this protectionism, and at the time Bernie Sanders. Let me ask you about the shutdown and the whole issue of immigration. The president clearly claiming victory over this one, the republicans happy with the way it went and they have seen it as a victory for them as well. The broader issue, these young people brought into america, the dreamers, by their parents. There is overwhelming support for doing something to help them stay in the country legally and overwhelmingly, people do not want to see them deported. How does that match with the protectionist, nationalists, anti immigration message we keep hearing from the people who voted for donald trump in the Election Campaign . It is not so much anti immigration but pro American Worker. That is one of the misnomers of this populist movement which has been mischaracterised as this angry, populist nationalists. But it is putting the American Worker first, moving to an merit based system where immigrants coming in will fill voids in the market and not take jobs from those who need them, from a lot of these factory workers. But when you look at immigration, there is wide support for these daca recipients, 62 of republicans want to see a permanent fix for them. So does the president , but according to a poll yesterday, 79 one Border Security as well. It has got to be give and take. The democrats have taken and President Trump has been given on daca. The there will be people in davos who said they will play host to this president because he wont be there forever, but where does the revolution go . Does it start and end with donald trump . I think it continues. We have seen on the paris climate accord, a lot of pressure, even within Donald Trumps own government not to withdraw from that agreement. There are factions within his own administration that said yes, the other said no. Hes stayed true to his promise. If the economy keeps going, which is great in america, if the economy is going the way it is and those promises become material action, the way it is and those promises become materialaction, it the way it is and those promises become material action, it continues for a long time to come. Kayliegh, let me pick up on the point, the historic unemployment, you write in your book, i found americans played by the greatest issues of our time. If things are going so well, what is it causing them so disquiet . Is it social issues and not Economic Issues . The disquiet was during eight years of president obama. Even before that, factory workers have been neglected by both parties for a long time. The disquiet was the latter end of the obama administration. And with terrorism and the attacks we have seen across the country and across europe as well, with factoryjobs going overseas, regulations, owners where you cannot even do yourjob without ad hearing to five or six different new codes that were put in place. The disquiet, i think a lot of it has been addressed. In a year we have seen a lot of change, but there isa have seen a lot of change, but there is a lot more that needs to be addressed. Veterans, we had a problem in our country with veterans dying on waiting lists for care. It is a big problem, but we are seeing a turnaround already. Thank you very much. The book is called the new American Revolution. This issue of whether democrats and republicans can get along, dont expect this to last very long, because chuck schumer, the leader of the democrats in the senate has said, you know that money i was going to give you for building the wall, i am taking it off the table. We could end up back where we were at a time of a lot of acrimony. Right where we were. Yes. For the first time a member of Donald Trumps cabinet has been interviewed in the russia investigation. Us attorney generalJeff Sessions has been questioned as part of the fbi probe into possible russia meddling in the 2016 president ial election. Thats according to the New York Times, which cites a Justice Department spokeswoman. We dont know what special Counsel Robert Mueller asked mr sessions but we do know the attorney general held several meetings during the campaign with the Russian Ambassador to washington. Its because he failed to disclose those meetings that he had to recuse himself from the whole probe into whether the Trump Campaign colluded with moscow to get trump elected. Lets get the thoughts of our north america editorjon sopel. He joins us again from washington. What words special counsel Robert Muller want to askJeff Sessions on theissue muller want to askJeff Sessions on the issue of obstructing justice, which seems to be the issue that hes really focusing on . Just to rewind a bit, the Justice Department has confirmed that interview took place, so it is notjust the New York Times saying there was a meeting betweenjeff york times saying there was a meeting between Jeff Sessions and the special counsels office, the Justice Department has confirmed it took place last week and it lasted several hours. I think what they would want to know is what were the circumstances that led up to the firing ofjames circumstances that led up to the firing of james comey. Circumstances that led up to the firing ofjames comey. You will rememberat the time firing ofjames comey. You will remember at the time when that came out, there was a statement by the white house and it was to do with james komi performance as fbi director and the way he investigated Hillary Clinton and her e mails. Then it was the russian think that led to his firing and then the day after, donald trump was hosting the Russian Foreign minister at the white house and some of the details of that meeting also leaked, where donald trump having talked about relieving the pressure on him. What i think Robert Muller will want to know, was there a clear causal relationship . Was james komi know, was there a clear causal relationship . Wasjames komi fired because of russia and if that was the case, was there and obstruction ofjustice. If there is an obstruction ofjustice ofjustice. If there is an obstruction of justice and ofjustice. If there is an obstruction ofjustice and an attempt to obstruct justice, well then that is one of the crimes are misdemeanours that could lead to impeachment. But that is clearly the direction in which Robert Muller is travelling and having interviewed a lot of relatively junior travelling and having interviewed a lot of relativelyjunior people, it is now getting a lot closer to donald trump. 0k, jon sopel, thank you very much forjoining us. A quick look at other news around the world. On the fourth day of its afrin offensive, turkish troops been targeting kurdish positions in Northern Syria with air and artillery fire. Turkish media reports Ground Troops pushing several kilometres into the enclave. Kurdish leaders in afrin have urged civilians to fight against the turkish army, with the local administration saying it was to announce