Trump says ordering \’100% tariff\’ on all movies produced abroad

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he would be imposing additional tariffs on all movies produced outside the United States, asserting that Hollywood is suffering due to American filmmakers and production companies moving their work overseas.

This statement follows growing criticism of the White House due to its stringent trade policies, with Trump imposing extensive tariffs on numerous nations worldwide.

“I have authorized the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to promptly initiate a 100% tariff on every movie entering our country that is produced abroad,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

WANT AMERICAN-MADE FILMS BACK!

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shared again Trump\’s message, stating \”We\’re on it.\”

There was no information shared about how the tariff would be put into practice.

Following Trump\’s post, China—which has borne the impact of the U.S. president\’s aggressive trade measures through a 145% tariff on numerous products—announced last month that it would decrease the quantity of American movies it imports.

\”The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,\” Trump wrote Sunday.

Hollywood and numerous other regions across the U.S.A. are facing devastation,\” he stated, asserting that productions moving to other nations posed a \”threat to national security.

The impact on the film sector — or the specifics of how these tariffs would be implemented — was not readily apparent.

Trump\’s post made no reference to whether television series, which have become an increasingly popular and lucrative segment of screen productions, might be impacted.

The US does not rank in the top five.

Hollywood represents a significant part of the U.S. economy, contributing over 2.3 million employment opportunities and achieving $279 billion in revenue in 2022, as reported by recent statistics from the Motion Picture Association.

However, following the Hollywood strikes and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — which altered movie consumption habits as Americans preferred watching from home rather than going to cinemas — experts within the sector claim that the industry continues to grapple with restoring its former dynamism.

According to a January report by production tracking service ProdPro, the United States is a top filming hub with $14.5 billion in production spend — though that amount is a 26 percent drop compared to two years earlier.

However a survey of studio executives revealed that their top five preferred production locations for 2025 and 2026 were all outside of the United States, due to competitive tax incentive schemes on offer.

The first was Toronto, followed by Britain, then Vancouver, Central Europe, and subsequently Australia. California ranked sixth.

Prior to his inauguration in January, Trump appointed long-time backers Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight as special envoys for Hollywood.

In a post on Truth Social, he stated that they would make the entertainment industry \”STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE.\”

Trump and the Republicans have traditionally received scant support from the entertainment industry, and a galaxy of stars from Taylor Swift to George Clooney backed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.