The North American trade drama is unfolding against a backdrop of diverging economic performance that gives President Trump leverage in the trade war. Why it matters: The two nations are tightly linked by the trade patterns that the White House threatens to blow up.

President Donald Trump has said he will announce a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US, a move that will have the biggest impact in Canada. Trump also said that there would be an announcement later in the week about reciprocal tariffs on all countries that tax imports from the US,