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President Donald Trump announced on Sunday his intention to impose a sweeping 100% tariff on all foreign-produced films entering the United States, arguing that other countries are “stealing” Hollywood’s business and using film as a tool of propaganda.
“Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.”
Trump declared that he is authorizing the U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to begin the process of instituting the tariffs. “I am authorizing…a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands,” he wrote.
Speaking to reporters later on Sunday, Trump blamed Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom for Hollywood’s economic downturn. “Other nations have been stealing the movies, the moviemaking capabilities from the United States,” 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.”
The move comes amid a prolonged slump in California’s film production. FilmLA, the organization that manages permitting in Los Angeles, has reported a drop in physical production over the last few years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, labor strikes, and more attractive tax incentives in places like Canada, the U.K., New York, and Georgia. While feature film production rose 18.8% last year in L.A., overall output remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Critics argue that foreign film imports represent only a small fraction of U.S. box office revenues and say the measure could provoke retaliation from allies and further damage international cultural exchange.
Trump previously appointed actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone as “special ambassadors to Hollywood,” tasked with revitalizing the American film industry. Voight’s manager, Steven Paul, told NBC News they planned to pitch Trump a set of proposals to boost U.S. production, but it’s unclear if that meeting has occurred.
Industry leaders have yet to comment, including the Motion Picture Association, Netflix, and Cinema United. China’s own move to raise tariffs on Hollywood films last month may add further fuel to Trump’s position, though analysts say its financial impact was minimal due to declining ticket sales there.
Still, Trump insists his policy is meant to revive domestic filmmaking. “Moviemakers love it,” he said. “We’re going to bring our industry back.”
