Long-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into a trade war abroad — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty. Since taking office less than two months ago,

National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said in an interview with ABC News' "This Week" that the tariffs are not meant to start a trade war. "What happened was that we launched a drug war, not a trade war, and it was part of the negotiation to get Canada and Mexico to stop shipping fentanyl across our borders," Hassett said.

The tariff actions, which could upend nearly $2.2 trillion in two-way annual U.S. trade, went live hours after Trump declared that all three countries had failed to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid.