On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a 100 percent tariff on films produced overseas, saying that the US movie industry was “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 USA, are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” he posted on Truth Social.
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…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 4, 2025
H”It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda. Therefore, I am authorising the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN,” Trump added.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote on X that they were “on it”
We’re on it. https://t.co/r5zCLxZrem
— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) May 4, 2025
Film and television production in Los Angeles has fallen by nearly 40% over the last decade, according to FilmLA, a non-profit that tracks the region’s production.
It was not immediately clear whether the tariff would target production companies, foreign or American, producing films overseas.
