What if your next phone or bike costs a little more than you expected? With President Trump’s new tariffs, prices on gadgets and more could be on the rise.

A bunch of US companies have stuck to a pretty straightforward game plan for ages: “Invent here, manufacture there.” You see, labor costs in the US are sky-high, which jacks up manufacturing expenses too. That’s why so many firms look overseas—it’s just cheaper. But last month, a blog post on the White House site made it clear—President Trump wants to flip that script and turn the US into a “Global Superpower in Manufacturing.”

Trump’s banking on a 10% tariff hitting every country, with some nations facing a whopping 50% rate. Sounds bold, right? Still, plenty of people are sounding the alarm, saying it could drive up prices for American shoppers and shake up the global economy in a bad way.

For starters

Today, most gadgets with a simple on/off switch have parts from all over the map. Europe and North America still play key roles in manufacturing, but the picture’s way more global now. Flat panel displays, for example, might come from several countries in East Asia. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia handles more behind-the-scenes tasks like chip packaging—less flashy, but super important. So, yeah, certain regions specialize in specific skills.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s the big boss when it comes to cutting-edge processors. Every year, this little island pumps out almost a third of the new computing juice we all depend on. That’s why TSMC sits at the top as one of the most valuable companies worldwide.

TSMC makes Apple’s A-series chips that power iPhones, iPads, and Macs. They also produce NVIDIA’s GPUs—the same ones used for machine learning and other advanced tech. AMD’s Ryzen and EPYC chips? TSMC builds those, too. And if you’re using a phone from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, or Xiaomi, chances are it’s running on a Snapdragon chip made by Qualcomm—also made at TSMC.

South Korea

South Korea owns the memory chip game. Demand from the US has stayed strong, especially with the AI boom driving up the need for cutting-edge chips. Samsung Electronics even saw their profits skyrocket 10 times in the first few months of 2024. That’s wild.

China and Mexico

Then you’ve got China and Mexico handling a bunch of the final assembly action.

Back in 2015, China rolled out the “Made in China 2025” strategy to level up in industries like EVs, solar power, batteries, AI, drones, and, of course, semiconductors. These days, China imports a ton of chips, slaps them into smartphones and laptops, and ships them out worldwide.

Mexico, on the other hand, produces everything from cars and electronics to appliances and medical gear. Many of those products come from major Asian brands like Huawei, Nissan, and Samsung who’ve set up shop there.

The main event

With a 10% universal tariff on imports kicking in, prices of imported goods are probably about to climb. American companies are already dealing with the added costs, so it’s only a matter of time before those higher prices hit the shelves.

Washing machines are a good example. When Trump slapped tariffs on them during his first term, prices didn’t wait around—they jumped. The median cost rose over 11%, which tacked on about $86 to the price of a new unit, according to University of Chicago researchers.

Consumer electronics

President Trump’s latest tariff rollout is laser-focused on electronics. Countries like China, Taiwan, and South Korea—the same ones behind everything from your phone to your flat-screen—are in the spotlight.

Starting April 9, anything made in China and shipped to the US could get hit with a hefty 34% tariff. So yeah, prices on certain gadgets might start creeping up fast. And while Apple has started making some iPhones in India, most of them still come out of Chinese factories. So that 34%? It’s going to sting.

Taiwan didn’t get off easy, either. There’s now a 32% tariff on most of their exports to the US, except for semiconductors. But let’s be real—that exemption might not last. South Korea’s chip industry could be next, too. And since semiconductors power pretty much everything—laptops, smart cars, kitchen appliances, you name it—we’ll probably feel the squeeze sooner or later.

Honestly, I feel lucky I got my M3 MacBook Air on a 23% discount. With all these tariffs, prices could jump before we even realize what hit us.

Bikes

Taiwan isn’t just a chip giant—it’s a bike beast too. Companies like Giant are cranking out frames and parts nonstop. In 2024 alone, the US imported over $250 million worth of Taiwanese bike components. American brands like Specialized and Trek use those parts to put together their bikes.

Toys

Toy creators are stressing out because prices for dolls, board games, and everything in between are about to climb. Big names like Hasbro, Mattel, and LEGO are scrambling to adjust. They’re cutting new deals with suppliers and moving production to different countries to dodge the usual headaches.

But for the little guys, it’s not that simple. They just don’t have the same wiggle room. Michael Agosta, who started TOTYM about 6 months ago, says, “We don’t have the flexibility to raise prices, because nobody knows who we are.” Their brand features plush toys inspired by mythological creatures and monsters. However, building recognition takes time—and money.

Final thoughts

So, while President Trump’s bold tariff plan may sound like a move toward boosting US manufacturing, it’s hard to ignore the potential cost increases that could follow. With tech gadgets, bikes, and toys already feeling the pressure, it’s clear that consumers could see their wallets take a hit. I’m genuinely interested to see if this push to make the US a manufacturing superpower succeeds.