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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump recently said he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all Mexican and Canadian products entering the United States, and announced he would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. In this regard, the "Japan Today" website published an article that the "tariff stick" is once again wielded, which will bring about higher prices in the United States and run counter to the promise of letting American households get rid of inflation.

According to the latest census data, the United States is the world's largest importer of goods, while Mexico, China and Canada are the top three suppliers of goods to the United States. Economists generally agree that the tariffs leave companies with little choice but to pass those extra costs on to consumers, causing prices for food, clothing, cars and other goods to rise sharply.

The Produce Distributors Association, a trade group in Washington, said tariffs hurt American farmers by driving up the price of fresh fruits and vegetables when other countries retaliate. "Tariffs distort markets and drive up prices along the supply chain," said Alan Siger, the association's president. "The ultimate result is that consumers pay more when they pay."

The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. warned that tariffs on tequila or Canadian whiskey would not increase U.S. jobs because they are specialty products that can only be made in the country of origin. "Imposing tariffs on liquor products from our northern and southern neighbors will hurt U.S. consumers and ultimately lead to job losses in industries such as restaurants and hotels."

An Associated Press poll of more than 120,000 American voters also found that about 70 percent were worried about food prices even before the election. The National Retail Federation (NRF) said the tariffs Trump proposed on the campaign trail would cost American consumers an extra $46 billion to $78 billion a year on clothing, toys, furniture, home appliances, footwear and travel goods.

And for Americans looking to buy a new car, they're also likely to see big price increases. C.J. Finn, U.S. auto industry leader at PwC, noted that most of the tariffs will ultimately be passed on to consumers, which means more consumers will be "priced out of the market."

Daniel Roeska, an analyst at Bernstein, the Wall Street investment bank, said in a note to investors that the tariffs would also cause unforeseen and severe damage to U.S. industrial production. It is reported that the threat of Trump's tariffs has hit auto stocks, especially the valuation of General Motors, which fell by more than 8%.

While it's unclear how long the tax increases would last if implemented, David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar, said automakers may not take any action in the short term because they can't quickly adjust where cars are produced.

Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the tariffs threatened to make the United States an "unstable partner" in international trade.

According to the BBC article, while some experts believe that Trump's tariff moves may end up being less aggressive than he claims, the threats are already having negative economic consequences.

"Whether it's bluster or not, it has an impact on the economy," said Wendy Edelberg, director of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. She pointed out that even if Trump's threats were only rhetorical, Americans would still face higher prices for goods, and stockpiling could put some businesses in trouble, leading to shortages of some goods. In addition, business uncertainty about the future will lead to slower economic growth in the coming months.

While Trump and his advisers have argued that tariffs will help revive U.S. manufacturing and drive new jobs, businesses and economists have warned that "it comes at a cost." Martin Pochtaruk, chief executive of Canadian solar manufacturer Heliene, said that when Trump imposed tariffs on solar panels made outside the United States in 2018, the company had to bear the ensuing costs and nearly went bankrupt. Today, they're talking to all their customers, but "there's a lot of anxiety."

For small businesses in the United States, which have little extra money to weather the economic uncertainty, handbag designer Sherrill Mosee's own brand is one of many in the United States potentially affected by tariffs. As a small brand facing fierce competition, Moses said he was not in a position to raise prices. "It's going to be very tough." "It will be very difficult all the way," she said.