President Donald Trump announced a steep 100% tariff on all foreign-made films on Sunday while lamenting the state of Hollywood, which he said is dying a “very fast death.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed there has been a “concerted effort” from other countries to woo filmmakers and film studios away from the United States by offering “incentives,” which he said has “devastated” Hollywood and the broader movie production business in the U.S.
“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. 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 said.
The president specified that the 100% tariff will be levied on “any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Trump concluded.
The new tariff announcement comes just over a month after his “Liberation Day” rollout of sweeping, so-called reciprocal tariffs on most foreign countries. Those have been passed for 90 days as world leaders negotiate trade deals with Trump and his administration.
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Recent reporting has indicated film companies are moving elsewhere. For example, Disney moved production of its popular animated film series Moana to Canada, where it recently opened a production facility in Vancouver. That meant many of the jobs and money associated with the project went to Canada instead of the United States.
Data also indicate U.S. productions are down significantly. In the second quarter of 2024, the number of U.S. productions was down 40% compared to the same period in 2022. Globally, there was only a 20% decline over that period.