February 1 deadline: US President Donald Trump still expects to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada

US President Donald Trump still intends to follow through on his promise to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico this Saturday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday.

Leavitt told reporters at the White House that she spoke with the president on Monday night, and he affirmed that February 1 was "still on the books" for implementing the punitive tariffs against both countries.

"The president has also put out specific statements in terms of Canada and Mexico, when it comes to what he expects in terms of border security." Leavitt added. "We have seen a historic level of cooperation from Mexico. But again, as far as I'm still tracking, and that was last night talking to the president directly, Feb. 1 is still on the books."

Shortly after taking office last week, Trump set a February 1 deadline for imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, unless the countries take action to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S. He also announced plans to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese goods due to the country's involvement in the fentanyl trade.

Leavitt is the youngest person to serve as U.S. presidential press secretary,

Trump has signed a stack of executive actions since returning to office as his new administration attempts to rapidly push the U.S. in a different direction. The president also has wielded his tariff threat against a growing number of countries, most recently against Colombia on Sunday.

In her first White House press briefing, Leavitt told reporters that Trump is still "very much" considering new tariffs on China for Saturday.

Trump's tariff threats against China, Canada, and Mexico—the three biggest trading partners of the United States, with annual import and export values of over $2.1 trillion—raise the stakes significantly.

-With inputs from Reuters