United States President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on foreign films, calling them a “National Security threat” in a social media post on Sunday.With details sparse, Trump’s threat has left many questions lingering. We unpack what his threat, if enforced, could mean; which film industries might take a hit; how his tariff targets might retaliate and how this would affect ticket prices.
What did Trump announce?
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that other countries are offering “all sorts of incentives” to drive filmmakers and studios away from the US.
“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” Trump wrote.
Trump also described foreign films as “messaging and propaganda”.
He said he was authorising the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative “to immediately begin the process” of imposing a 100 percent tariff on films coming into the US which are “produced in Foreign Lands”. Advertisement
On Monday, the White House appeared to take a step back. “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.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom also announced on Mo …
