US President Donald Trump has confirmed that a new round of tariffs on Beijing will go into effect on Sunday in the latest tit-for-tat of the US trade war with China.
China tariffs are "on," the president told reporters before departing to Camp David, the presidential retreat, today, reports News.com.au.
"A lot of companies have left China and a lot more are leaving," the president said without providing any evidence.
The US is planning to impose 15-per cent tariffs on $US300 billion worth of Chinese goods.
Some of that will start in September and another tranche in December, in order, the president says, to avoid harm to consumers ahead of Christmas.
Earlier this month China announced plans to impose tariffs on an additional $US75 billion worth of US goods imported into the country, and Trump responded by increasing the September tariffs from 10 to 15 per cent.
The moves are the latest in a year-long trade war that is slowing the world economy.
Washington has already slapped tariffs on $US250 billion worth of Chinese goods, to which China has retaliated with duties on $US110 billion worth of US imports.
'Greeter girl' Madeleine Westerhout and Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Photo / Supplied
President Donald Trump's personal assistant abruptly resigned from her post after it was revealed she shared information about the president's family with members of the press.
Madeleine Westerhout stepped down after Mr Trump found out that she disclosed the personal details to reporters while they were staying in hotels near his Bedminster New Jersey golf resort, the New York Times reported.
It's alleged Ms Westerhout also shared information about White House operations with the reporters, according to CNN.
The president was on vacation at the time, according to the New York Post.
The 28-year-old woman is now considered a "separated employee" and will not be allowed to return to the White House, the Times reported.
Ms Westerhout had been Mr Trump's assistant since the first day of his presidency, but was not always an ally of the president.
She previously worked as a staffer for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign and reportedly broke down and sobbed when Mr Trump was elected in 2016.
Donald Trump with Mitt Romney. Photo / Getty Images
News and information website heavy.com said Ms Westerhout had been one of the President's most trusted confidants since 2016. She started working for Mr Trump as his "greeter girl" welcoming dignitaries visiting the President at Trump Tower while she was still assistant to Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Katie Walsh.
She quickly became part of the President's inner circle. "Madeleine is the key," Trump told the I in 2018. "She's the secret." The message was clear: If you wanted to talk to President Trump, you went through Ms Westerhout.
According to a report from Politico, for the past six months, Ms Westerhout tried to "expand the boundaries of her job to encompass a broader set of tasks and to include foreign travel".
An anonymous White House adviser told Politico that Westerhout tried to act like a "de facto chief of staff" which "irked several White House officials and Cabinet secretaries who thought she should stick to her primary task of serving as the president's personal secretary with a desk just outside the Oval Office".
The unnamed adviser called the latest incident where Ms Westerhout shared details about the President's personal life "the final straw".
