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Washington, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump has announced a dramatic new trade initiative aimed at revitalizing the U.S. film industry by imposing a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the country and imported into the United States.
Speaking on Sunday via his Truth Social platform and later to reporters at the White House, Trump accused other nations of luring American filmmakers overseas with attractive financial incentives, calling the trend a “national security threat” and a form of “propaganda.”
“Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump said. “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff when movies come in. I can tell you one thing — moviemakers love it.”
Trump blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the decline in Hollywood-based productions, citing a surge in overseas film development in places like Ontario and the United Kingdom. However, data from FilmLA shows a more nuanced picture: while overall production has dipped in Los Angeles due to recent labor strikes and pandemic-related challenges, feature film production rose by nearly 19% last year, though still below the five-year average.
Trump also reaffirmed his appointment of actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as “special ambassadors to Hollywood” to help attract productions back to the U.S. Voight and his manager are reportedly preparing proposals to expand domestic film and television activity.
While Trump’s proposed tariffs stirred discussion, major industry stakeholders — including the Motion Picture Association and global distributors like Netflix — have yet to formally respond. Meanwhile, some observers note that the U.S. film industry maintains a positive trade balance internationally, even as foreign markets like China introduce their own restrictions on American content.
