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Donald Trump has said he will expand the trade war into the film industry to slap 100% tariffs on every film produced overseas and sabotage what Hollywood described as a “very fast death.”
The US President made an announcement on his Truth Social Platform Sunday night as he returned to Washington from the weekend at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but he did not provide details.
“The American film industry is suffering from very fast deaths. Other countries offer all sorts of incentives to separate filmmakers and studios from the US. Hollywood, and many other parts of the US, are devastated.”
Los Angeles has seen other US states, like Canada and the UK, stripping film productions from California in recent years.
California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a tax incentive scheme to support film production in the state, but Trump is instead considering tariffs that hinder international competition.
Trump added that he would allow the Commerce Department and US trade representatives to be approved “to immediately begin the process of establishing a 100% tariff on all films that come to our country that are produced on foreign lands.”
He concluded: “We want a film made in America again!”
Trump suspended the swept tariffs he proposed for a wide range of imports until last July. He gives his officials time to negotiate trade deals with countries around the world – he maintains taxation that affects certain industries, such as automobiles and pharmaceuticals. It was unclear how taxation would apply to films.
The Film Association declined to comment.
Trump’s plan to apply tariffs on foreign films comes amid an explosion of social media posts calling for the reopening of the infamous Alcatraz prison, which has been shut down for more than 60 years.
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The US president said Alcatraz, located on an island off the coast of San Francisco, needs to be “substantially expanded and rebuilt” to house “the most ruthless and violent criminals in America.”
“The reopening of Alcatraz will serve as a symbol of law, order and justice,” Trump wrote of the society of truth.
The statement sparked a swift responsibilities from former House speaker and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi from California.
In a post on X, Pelosi said the president’s proposal was “not serious.”
“Alcatraz was closed as a federal prison over 60 years ago, and is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction,” she added.
