With stiff tariffs he promised now in place, Trump opens a new trade war

(CNN) — 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.“No,” he said when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office if there was anything Canada, Mexico or China could do to forestall the new tariffs he’d promised to apply by February 1. “Not right now.”Twenty-four hours later, he made good.From his Mar-a-Lago club on Saturday — after a round of golf nearby — Trump signed new 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, along with lower 10% tariffs on China, setting the stage for a continental trade war among the United States’ top trading partners. Included in his order is a retaliation clause — all but guaranteeing the tariff rates could rise, given both Mexico and Canada have vowed reprisals.After threatening for months to impose steep tariffs on the United States’ neighbors, Trump’s decision to impose the stiff new duties should hardly come as a surprise. With the deadline due, officials said the tariffs would be available for public inspection by midday Saturday. Still, until the final...