President Trump vowed to revive the film industry over the weekend, announcing a plan to put a “100% tariff on any and all movies coming into our country” that were produced abroad.
“Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,” the president noted. “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!”
The president said he was directing the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative to begin the process of imposing the tariffs.
But on Monday, the White House and the president said no final decisions have been made.
“Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.
Trump told reporters on Monday that they’re “going to meet with the industry” to discuss the idea and “make sure they’re happy with it, because we’re all about jobs.”
While Trump acknowledged the industry has “abandoned the USA, where it started,” he was confident “we’ll get it back.”
.@POTUS on tariffing the film industry: "Our film industry has been decimated by other countries... It's an industry now that's abandoned the USA where it started, and we'll get it back." pic.twitter.com/Ff3m9TFghi
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2025