Donald Trump has once again lashed out at the media, but this time to blame reporters for trying to tank the US economy in a conspiracy to deny him a second term in the White House.

The president’s attack comes after Mr Trump delayed imposing some further tariffs on China as the two countries engage in an ongoing trade war, and as some economists have warned of a looming recession that could drag down the president’s re-election prospects.

“The Fake News Media is doing everything they can to crash the economy because they think that will be bad for me and my re-election,” Mr Trump said.

He continued: “The problem they have is that the economy is way too strong and we will soon be winning big on Trade, and everyone knows that, including China!”

The decision to hold back on further tariffs on Chinese goods was made at least in part to shield US consumers from the impact of higher costs, just as consumers head to stores at the beginning of the busy holiday shopping season.

Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Show all 15 1 /15 Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Pork There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cheese There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including €22.10/100kg of cheddar, €19.10/100kg of processed cheese and €18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Milk There will be no tariffs in place on milk Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Car Parts There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe PA Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cars However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6% Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Alcoholic drinks There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks - except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Beef There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fish There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fruit and vegetables There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Chocolate There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Poultry There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Ceramics There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Steel There will be no tariffs on steel Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Coal There will be no tariffs on coal Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Lamb/Mutton There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers Getty

That’s at least how commerce secretary Wilbur Ross explained the decision during an appearance on CNBC.

“Nobody wants to take any chance of disrupting the Christmas season,” he said.

Analysts, however, have said that the decision reflects the increasingly arbitrary nature of the dispute that Mr Trump has made a key facet of his foreign policy doctrine.

“The US-China tariff has reached a stalemate, or even more accurately, fallen into purgatory,” Scott Kennedy, an adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider.

He continued: “The two sides are now locked in a conversation of increasing irrelevance, on individual tariff lines and goods purchased.”

Analysts on Wall Street are also closely watching signs that another recession may be coming in the US market, with a closely watched spot on the yield curve being inverted.