ST. LOUIS – “We may have, short-term, a little pain. And people understand that,” President Donald Trump said.

That’s how President Trump addressed the inflation fallout that could come as a result of his administration’s new tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China.

Canada is the largest trade and investment partner for both the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri. In 2023, Missouri had $4.3 billion of imports from Canada, and exports to Canada totaled $6.5 billion. Mexico is the largest trading partner of the U.S.

“This will affect the everyday consumer immediately and potentially in the long run,” Dr. Dani Bello, an international relations and security professor at Webster University, said. “Especially considering that the single largest import from Canada to the United States is energy resources, we’re talking about potentially sweeping increases in prices at the grocery store.”

Those prices could show at the gas pump as well. Canada supplies one-quarter of the oil America consumes each day.

“Typically, as crude oil prices rise or fall, so too do gas prices at your local gas station,” AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria said.

According to Chabarria, spring and summer gas prices are usually 15 cents higher, even when tariffs aren’t part of the equation. The increased costs to oil and gas producers are often passed along to drivers.

“The March-April period is when producers switch over from winter blend gasoline to summer blend gasoline,” he said. “An exact amount, when that might happen, or how high prices might go—it’s much too early to tell that.”

We found mixed reactions among the consumers we spoke with.

“I’m not happy with it, but what are we going to do about it?” Ronelle Ming said.

Mark Zerillo added, “I think it’s worth it for the American people.”

“I could see how it could be good somewhere, but as a consumer yet again, you always want the prices to be low, and you want them to go down,” Sean Spiller said.

The tariffs against Canada and Mexico are now on hold for a month following agreements with Canada’s prime minister and Mexico’s president, but what the future holds remains unclear.

“That uncertainty will in itself create more volatility and potentially a decline in the standard of living,” Bello noted.