Two weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump has launched the United States into a new trade war. He announced steep new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China — the three largest U.

On Friday afternoon, around the same time a delegation of senior Canadian officials was preparing to meet with President Donald’s Trump’s border czar in a bid to stave off withering new tariffs, Trump himself essentially told them from afar: Don’t bother.

Amid warnings of price increases, Canada moved quickly to retaliate, China said it had planned countermeasures and Mexico said it would soon unveil its response.