US President Donald Trump has demanded a 100% tariff on movies made outside the US.
Trump made the statement on Sunday on his Truth Social social media platform.
In the post, he said that “the Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death” due to competition from abroad with other countries “offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States.”
He went on to say that “Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated” and that this constituted a “National Security threat.”
Trump said he was “authorizing 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.’
It’s unclear whether this would cover films made by US companies basing parts of their production outside the US or whether it would cover non-theatrical movies made by US streamers for example.
On Monday, The White House said that no final decisions had been made about movie tariffs and the administration is still exploring options.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.“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.”
CNBC also reported on Monday that Trump was dialling back his rhetoric. CNBC reported Trump saying said he would ask the Hollywood studios if “they’re happy” with the proposed tariffs. “I’m not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry…. So we’re going to meet with the industry… I want to make sure they’re happy with it because we’re all about jobs.”
Parliament’s Culture Media and Sport Committee Chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP said: “Last month the Culture, Media and Sport Committee warned against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe. President Trump’s announcement has made that warning all too real. Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on US-owned IP, is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic. Ministers must urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently underway. At the same time, the Government’s forthcoming Creative Industries Sector Plan needs to meet the challenge we set down of incentivising inward investment while also growing our domestic sector so British film and high-end TV can thrive.”
In response to the announcement that the US plans to impose a 100% tariff on all internationally-produced films, Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission said: “While this announcement is clearly concerning, we need to understand the detail surrounding the proposed tariffs. We will be meeting with Government and our industry policy group in the coming days to discuss further. The UK and US have long enjoyed a strong, shared history of film-making, recently celebrating 100 years of creative collaboration and production. We look forward to continuing that for years to come, to our mutual benefit.”
Philippa Childs, Head of film and TV union, Bectu, responding to Trump’s announcement, said; “The UK is a world leader in film and TV production, employing thousands of talented workers, and this is a key growth sector in the government’s industrial strategy. These tariffs, coming after Covid and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering and will be really worrying news for tens of thousands of skilled freelancers who make films in the UK. The government must move swiftly to defend this vital sector, and support the freelancers who power it, as a matter of essential national economic interest.”
Staff Reporter
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