Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico are set to influence the prices of groceries and gas in the United States.
President Trump has rapidly implemented his policies, breaking records with the number of executive orders he signed on his first day in office.
The 47th US president has already initiated changes in areas such as passports and immigration, and his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America has sparked debate.
The Trump administration has also enforced higher import tariffs on countries including China, Canada, and Mexico.
Trump’s executive order stipulates a 25 percent import tariff for goods coming from Mexico and Canada, and a 10 percent tariff on goods from China. Additionally, a 10 percent tariff is applied to energy imported from Canada.
President Trump had been hinting at these tariffs as a means to encourage countries to cooperate in addressing illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used in fentanyl production. He also promised that tariffs would support domestic manufacturing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated to the press on Friday (January 31), “Starting tomorrow, those tariffs will be in place. These are promises made and promises kept by the president.”
The imposition of these tariffs is expected to affect every American household, with a noticeable rise in the cost of the weekly grocery bill.
The Supermarket Guru editor, Phil Lempert, explained to ABC: “About 63% of all our vegetables come from Mexico. When we look at fruit and nuts, about 50% come from there. If we take a look at our meat, that comes from Canada.
“This is not something that’s going to have a good effect for consumers any time soon.”
Items such as avocados, berries, cooking oil, meat, meat products, beer, and even tequila are expected to see price increases as a result.
In addition, there will be an increase in gas prices, with Lempert noting: “Gas prices are going to go up. That’s what we get from Canada.
“Also, if you take a look, a lot of our US cars are assembled and parts come from Mexico. So, we’re going to see the price of cars go up.”
In response to Trump’s executive order, both the Canadian and Mexican presidents announced counter-tariffs on Saturday evening.
Canada is enacting 25 percent tariffs on CA $155 billion worth of US goods, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum instructed her economic minister to implement strategies to safeguard Mexico’s interests.