Donald Trump’s long-threatened trade war has finally begun.

The Trump Administration slapped big new tariffs onto Canada, Mexico, and China Tuesday, spurring retaliation from other countries, a market sell-off, and new fears about the future of the US economy.

Finally making good on a months-old threat, just after midnight Trump set 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, and 10 percent tariffs on Canadian energy imports — targeting two of the US’s biggest trading partners. Trump also increased the tariff he imposed on Chinese imports last month from 10 percent to 20 percent.

Canada quickly hit back by imposing 25 percent tariffs on certain goods they import from the US, threatening more within weeks if Trump didn’t reverse course. China announced its own retaliatory measures against certain American agricultural exports and tech companies, while Mexican officials promised to respond in the coming days.

There’s likely more to come — Trump said last week that new tariffs on the European Union would also be ready soon.

In the short term, Americans will likely see higher prices on many products or goods that are imported or are made with imported components, from cars to electronics to agricultural products to gasoline (the US imports........

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