27/01/2017 The Papers

Hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be

With me are journalist, writer and broadcaster Agnes Poirier

and the Economics Editor of The Independent Ben Chu.

No prizes for guessing the story on all of tomorrow's front

It is the visit to America by Theresa May. Many of the papers show

the picture of Theresa May and double trap holding hands.

Many of the papers show the picture of Donald Trump and Theresa May

holding hands with the words "love at the White House."

The hand holding also features on the Mirror's front page

which describes the meeting as something of a love-in.

The Guardian calls it the new special relationship and suggests

Theresa May has been reassured by President Trump and several key

issues. The Telegraph refers to Donald Trump

and Theresa May as the happy couple who have shown that

opposites attract. The Times signals Trump's praise for

exit and shows him pointing at the bust of Winston Churchill, now

reinstated in the Oval Office. The Independent's headline mentions

President Trump's backing of Brexit and the confirmation Theresa May

said she was given that he backs And the FT regards the meeting

as a success, saying Trump hands May the promise

of 'stronger' special relationship. The Sun has its own

exclusive about three students at Harrow public school

who are believed to have collapsed All right. Let's begin. It was

almost a complete set, wasn't it? Only be sun broke rank with their

front page. Let's start with the Daily Mail and the head line the

love in at the White House. The pictures of the handholding, the arm

around the back and everything. The mood of it was fairly good or were

you not really surprised at all, Agnes, about this? It looks as if

the British press wants us all to blush when actually all I felt was

mortified. The haste in which Theresa May, just after he was

elected, she couldn't get to him on the phone, and actually he was very

quick to meet Nigel Farage on the hub of the British people. Now she

says, thank you so much for having me so soon at the White House and it

sounds so desperate. And indeed, sounds so desperate. And indeed,

is a trade deal now because of is a trade deal now because of

Brexit. So we had of course words about the special relationship but

we've had that for decades if not centuries. I don't know. Then the

's side. She is above all this. So 's side. She is above all this. So

don't bring having. What do you think? You say Brexit but those in

favour of Brexit with a sensible? This is the first full week of

Donald Trump's presidency and by any rational standard it has been a

complete disaster. Any hope that he would become more presidential,

become more restraint have been out the window. Talking about trade

wars, insulting people, relations breaking down all over the place.

Pathological lying has come through. Then for the British Prime Minister

had to go here and as Agnes says tries to be depressed of this man is

a very high risk minibar. -- tries to be the best friend of this man.

If he carried on in this vein, these pictures of Theresa May holding

hands with him a welder, millstone around her neck that not only have

about the country will struggle to live down. Do you not think you is

likely tone things down during that period is today though? Well, by his

own standards, yes, he appeared restrained, but what does that mean?

There is all this new special relationship but can we believe what

he says? Nope. This is one thing one day and another another day. This

thing about Nato. It used to be obsolete and now she, that is the

biggest news today, she managed to say, as you told me, Mr President,

you told me you were backing Nato 100%. But we haven't heard him say

this. A lot of the analysts were saying that was perhaps the most

important thing that was said. The Daily Telegraph with the headline

their hand-in-hand, the happy couple. Again, the handholding has

it. Towards the end of the article there, that note that Theresa May

said that Donald Trump had said he was 100% behind Nato and that hold

Nato issue has been very much a hot potato. He gave an interview to

Michael Gove in the Times a couple of weeks ago and said that Nato was

obsolete. Picking up on a theme that he ran with very strongly in his

campaign that they basically believe the countries in Nato don't pay

enough for their defence. Theresa May have gone there and said in this

press conference that you agreed in our previous meeting that you were

backing Nato 100% but he didn't say that himself. These words didn't

come out of the mouth of the president of the United States. He

had every opportunity to say, yes, I agree with that, but he didn't say

that. There is a degree of false conflict being drawn that he backs

Nato 100% because he didn't say it. But earlier and we had a

British-based republican former adviser who was saying, do you not

think they discussed he was going to say what before they walked out

there? That was her view, that it was all carefully stage-managed. It

looked quite awkward. She was really walking on eggshells and anybody in

her shoes would. With Donald Trump, the problem is you don't believe

anything he says. I'm getting the feeling that neither of you are big

fans at this point. Let me put it to you, if either -- if other European

leaders had been offered to go first, they would have gone? Well,

it didn't happen. I'm not sure Angela Merkel would have done

actually. She doesn't seem desperate, doesn't act as if she is

desperate and is not desperate. She will be on the frame to him

tomorrow, so we'll Francois Hollande and so will Vladimir Putin. I do

hope they don't rush to Washington. They will, along with other world

leaders, the heartened to hear the 100% support for Nato. And the 100%

support of Brexit as well, of course. Donald Trump is not a normal

presidency. The way he conducts himself, the people he has

appointed, the whole setup is not typical and we simply do not know at

this stage what a commitment from Donald Trump to something like Nato

or a Mexican wall, whether this actually means anything. Can we

trust what he says? Does he even believe or understand what he's

saying. We could talk about torture. He said he has appointed somebody

who doesn't believe in torture say we will go with him, but personally

as the president of the United States, I do think I believe in

torture. Something we have never heard before. That is something

which is not normal for the president. It is very difficult to

judge him by what he says. Playing devils advocate again, we are always

criticising politicians for not giving their honest opinion. You

could argue that at least he was being honest about it? I suppose if

you wanted to burn something positive to say. I am going to

struggle with you to to get that. It is frightening times. It is almost

comic, a lot of what is going on but it is also incredibly serious at the

same time. And quite sad to see Britain playing that card because it

might really not get them where they wanted to. Time Will Powell on that.

Let's stay with the same story a different angle -- time will tell on

that. Let's move to the Financial Times, Trump hands made the promise

of a stronger special relationship. But also talk about Russia. There is

to be a phone call tomorrow between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. I'd

love to be a fly on the wall. Absolutely. I'm sure other people

will be listening in, because the Russian -- if the Russian secret

service reputation is anything to go by. This is one of the key

relationships. People talk about Britain and the US but Russia and

the US, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, given all the insinuations

about compromise, what they might have on Donald Trump himself, how is

he going to behave towards Russia? If he is friendly towards them, that

will only add to the sense that he is somehow compromised. But he

didn't shy away from this very interesting and quite worrying line

that he has had which is that I don't know Vladimir Putin, I want to

have a good relationship with him. When the American military and

diplomatic immunity are very clear that Russia is not a friend of the

United States. It is a hostile power and that they do not, they think

there are grave dangers is getting too close. It's like torture. The

president disagrees with his generals. The big question is

sanctions. To be fair to Theresa May, I think she did say they are

sticking with sanctions. She thought held her ground but yesterday in

Philadelphia she was also saying, we should have a new relationship with

Russia and its actually the same sound coming from the president

hopeful in France. If he is elected he is very much in favour of

changing completely different foreign policy towards Russia, so it

is not something we haven't heard in different parts of Europe. It is

something which is gradually taking ground and I see it coming with

Theresa May. She is trying to hold on to what is British foreign policy

but it is changing. What do you think we will get out of that call

or what will we be told to come out of that call? I suspect we won't be

told a lot of useful information. Except that it is tremendous and

fantastic. We had the same thing with the Mexican president. It was a

great conversation, we got on really well. Nothing of substance was

reported and I suspect it will be a while before we find out about the

bilateral relationship between Trump and other world leaders. The Mexican

-- Trump said he cancelled the meeting with the Mexican president,

making it sound like they both decided it wasn't happening. I

mentioned it, let's get back onto it and go through it in real-time.

Brexit. This was going to be very closely looked at, what was said in

a press conference and the West, by the European press, by the European

leaders. Agnes, let me start with you. How do you think the other

European leaders will be viewing what happened today? The thing is,

what happened today apart from words. Trump said it was the most

wonderful thing that could happen to Britain. But in terms of trade, do

we know anything in detail? No, it might be too early. It's the first

visit. But also his words towards the EU, towards the consortium, I

mean, he hates the organisation that is the European Union. Will it have

annoyed, angered, embittered foreign leaders towards the UK? Yes,

absolutely. Article 50 haven't been triggered and yet Theresa May, the

British Prime Minister, is rushing, running to Washington in the hope of

having a trade deal with Trump. Trump says, yes, of course, we'll

have a tremendous relationship. But it's all wind. It's all

anti-dash-mac empty words. Britain is still in the European Union as

far as we know. Would the other European leaders have expected it

and if the boot was on the other fit, they would have gone? Expected

a chronology, perhaps. You go after you have officially said, I am

leaving the European Union and I will therefore start negotiations. I

think what's really interesting is that for all the handholding, Trump

did not come out and say, we will definitely do a quick trade deal

with the UK and we will start negotiating it now. That's not what

Theresa May and Downing Street would have hoped to have come out of this.

You think realistically though he might have said something like that?

With Trump, of course he might have done. You might have had to row back

on it but he could have done. Someone has got to him and said

don't go too far on this. We have to get this through Congress, we have

to speak to the lobbyists in the US to speak to the lobbyists in the US

about what the terms of this will be. Throw back a bit. I think it's

interesting. They would have loved to have been able to say, Trump says

we will definitely do a trade deal but they didn't get that headline.

With regard to the fact that he doesn't make the laws, it have to go

through Congress and the British can't start proper trade talks until

that period has finished, in a sense, a lot of this was for show

anyway? Of course. It's all about holding hands, you know. I do hope

he's not going to try holding hands with the Queen. Hopefully he will be

briefed on that. I mean, this is a pantomime. Isn't it? I mean, that's

all you get on every single British newspaper. The ministers will be

delighted seeing it so prominently everywhere. Well, some will be, and

some will share my view, I suspect, that there is perhaps a very large

hostage to fortune. If Trump goes down in flames, which is not

inconceivable given his erratic Hagar in this first week, this could

look really bad. I don't think Angela Merkel would have held hands

with Donald Trump. It was interesting, as they were walking

behind the pillars, those pillars hit quite a lot. We don't know who

grabbed his hand. It's like the playground. Though back to the

Telegraph as well, as that has got an interesting angle on that. Inside

and on page five, Prince Charles talking about Brexit, saying it has

been given almost a possession status over other important topics,

most particularly, Christian persecution. He took part in this

campaign about persecution in the Middle East of questions and he was

very frustrated, it seems, it seems pretty well sourced, that this

wasn't picked up by the media. Prince Charles blamed Brexit that it

wasn't picked up because everyone is obsessed with that. I think it's

more that the media is obsessed than the British people. One thing you

can say, he has certainly right about wrong because now it is in the

media and the report is being talked about and he has got exposure for

it, so good for him. It is a little talked about subject, the

persecution of Christians, and it has been said for years, so good on

him to actually push it almost to the front page. Just briefly if you

would, this is just the start, is it not? The start of constant headlines

about Brexit over the next two or so years. Oh, yes, we have had it long

as the can see. What next with the as the can see. What next with the

Trump written relationship? Obviously you two are deeply Peta

Miss -- pessimistic about it. Do you see the wheels falling off in the

next few days or weeks? Well, they will bid. It's a bit like Brexit,

it's almost worse than Brexit, because it concentrates all your

attention. If only we could focus on something else. Well, there we must

leave it. Thank you very much indeed.

Don't forget you can see the front pages of the papers online

It's all there for you, 7 days a week at bbc.co.uk/papers -

and if you miss the programme any evening, you can watch it

A big thank you to Agnes and to Ben. Goodbye.

Good evening. The gradual progression towards milder weather

has started. But we still had some freezing fog and some ice around

into this afternoon. Plenty of sunshine around as well, further

north across