Trump Revives Proposal for 100% Tariff on Foreign Films
Donald Trump is once again pushing his idea of putting a 100% tariff on every movie made outside the United States. He says the plan is meant to save the American film industry, which he believes is collapsing.
“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’”
Trump first shared this proposal months ago on his Truth Social account. In that post, he claimed he told the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to start working on it.
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” Trump wrote. “Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
Trump then spoke with C-SPAN and repeated the argument. He blamed foreign nations for pulling U.S. productions overseas and said California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has made things worse. “What they’ve done is other nations have been stealing the movies, the moviemaking capabilities from the United States,” Trump said.
“I’ve done some very strong research over the past week and we’re making very few movies now. Hollywood is being destroyed. Now, you have a … grossly incompetent governor that allowed that to happen, so I’m not just blaming other nations, but other nations have stolen our movie industry.”
He added that if studios don’t shoot films inside the U.S., they should pay. “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, then we should have a tariff on movies that come in. And not only that, governments are actually giving big money. They’re supporting them financially. That’s sort of a threat to our country in a sense.”
Countries like the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and Spain have been popular filming spots for Hollywood productions in recent years, largely because of generous tax breaks. That shift has saved studios millions but also sent jobs overseas. Smaller films are often shot in cheaper locations like Romania or Bulgaria.
When asked about Trump’s comments, a spokesperson from Governor Newsom’s office brushed them off, saying: “Looks like it’s distraction day again in Washington, D.C.”
Some in the film industry fear Trump’s proposal could backfire. One executive suggested that filming in Canada, especially in Vancouver, a hub for TV and movie production, would be finished if the tariff went through.
Trump insists the measure is about protecting jobs and reviving American filmmaking. But critics say it could hurt more than help, especially for smaller productions that depend on filming abroad to stay affordable.
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