(NEW YORK) — Price hikes for gasoline and groceries could reach shoppers within days in the aftermath of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, experts told ABC News.
Some products such as auto fuel and fresh produce will be hit with near-instant price increases, while others like cars, laptops and children’s toys will show hikes in the coming weeks and months, they said.
The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on imports from China. The fresh round of duties on Chinese goods doubled an initial set of tariffs placed on China last month.
Mexico, Canada and China make up the three largest U.S. trading partners, accounting for a vast array of products ranging from everyday essentials to big-ticket purchases.
Tariffs of this magnitude would likely increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers, experts said.
“Higher tariffs will translate into higher prices for some products very quickly,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told ABC News. “It will take longer for everything from vehicles to appliances to consumer electronics.”
In a series of social media posts last month, Trump said he would place tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China for hosting the manufacture and transport of illicit drugs that end up in the U.S.
During an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Trump also sharply criticized tariffs imposed on U.S. goods by Canada, Mexico and China.
“President Trump continues to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring U.S. trade policy serves the national interest,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
The U.S. imported $38.5 billion in agricultural goods from Mexico in 2023, making it the top recipient of such products, U.S Department of Agriculture data showed. Those imports include more than $3 billion worth of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Roughly 90% of avocados eaten in the U.S. last year originated in Mexico, USDA data showed. Other products with a high concentration of Mexican imports include tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapeños, limes and mangos.
These products will show price increases within days because fresh produce cannot be held on shelves for an extended period, meaning imports slapped with tariffs will soon reach shoppers, Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News.
“That’s what you’d expect to be hit the fastest,” Miller said.
A similar dynamic will play out for gasoline prices for some U.S. drivers living in regions that rely on crude oil from Mexico and Canada, said Timothy Fitzgerald, a professor of business economics at the University of Tennessee who studies the petroleum industry.
Mexico and Canada account for 70% of U.S. crude oil imports, which make up a key input for the nation’s gasoline supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a government agency.
Those imports come primarily from Canada, which sends crude oil to U.S. refineries built specifically to process the crude and redistribute it as gasoline for cars and trucks. Gasoline that originates as Canadian crude reaches customers in the upper Midwest as well as some along the East and West coasts, Fitzgerald said.
Gas refiners and retailers retain the ability to alter prices multiple times per day, meaning price hikes may have hit some drivers as early as Tuesday, he added.
“Think about a digital board at a gas station – a couple taps to a button and the price goes up,” Fitzgerald said.
A second wave of price increases will hit a wide-ranging set of products over the coming weeks and months, some experts said.
A large share of consumer electronics – such as laptops, video game systems and smartphones – enter the U.S. from China, meaning the new tariffs will filter through into higher prices for those goods, they said.
Price hikes will ultimately hit children’s toys, since many of those products also originate in China, Miller said.
Some U.S. retailers appear to have been stockpiling children’s toys in anticipation of the tariffs, but the stored items will run out soon, he added.
“You probably don’t get much of a reprieve beyond April,” Miller said.
Prices for Mexico-made beer and tequila will also rise over the coming months, as will the cost of Canada-made maple syrup, Miller added.
Canada is the top source of imported U.S. eggs, adding stress to a supply chain already decimated by an avian flu outbreak.
Egg prices skyrocketed 53% over the past year, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed last month.
Since the U.S. relies overwhelmingly on domestic egg production, however, a potential price increase for Canadian eggs is not expected to meaningfully drive up egg prices at U.S. stores, Miller said.
“But it certainly doesn’t make things better,” Miller added.
ABC News’ Jacob Eufemia contributed to this report.
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