Australia's message to Trump: If you put tariffs on our meat, McDonald's will be more expensive

Donald Trump's trade war could increase the price of American hamburgers, Australia's trade minister has warned, amid fears that tariffs could be extended to beef and other agricultural products.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said most of Australia's beef exported to the United States went to fast-food giant McDonald's, and any new tariffs on Australian goods would inevitably increase the price Americans pay for their cheeseburgers or Big Macs.

He said he would continue to push for Australian exemptions in Trump's expanded tariff agenda, admitting he did not know what the president would get in any potential deal but that he would try to develop "an offer he can't refuse," the Telegraph reports.

"I would like to tell you exactly what the US government is finally going to do. To be honest with you, I suspect they don't even know themselves," Farrell told Sky News on Sunday.

The Australian government said it would continue to argue its case to remove the 25 percent US tariffs on steel and aluminium exports as part of Trump's worldwide trade barriers for all nations, and to avoid potential future tariffs on sectors such as agriculture and medicine.

Australian farmers are eagerly waiting to hear whether meat exports will be hit in the next round.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the US tariffs on Australia were not the act of a friendly nation.

"We have great friends in the United States and we expect them to act accordingly," Albanese said.

"Tariffs are a tax on American buyers of products from around the world, regardless of where they come from, for steel and aluminum. It's these tariffs, which are a tax on Americans," Albanese said at a press conference.