In his latest economic move, former President Donald Trump has set his sights on an unexpected target: the global film industry. Announcing sweeping 100% tariffs on foreign-produced movies, Trump claims this drastic measure is necessary to save what he calls America’s “dying” movie business.
The decision comes amid escalating trade tensions with China, where tariffs have already reached 145% on certain goods. But this new policy takes the trade war into cultural territory, with Trump framing foreign competition as a “national security threat.” In a Truth Social post, he accused other countries of luring American filmmakers away with incentives, devastating Hollywood in the process.
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Trump declared, authorizing the Department of Commerce to implement the tariffs immediately. The move appears aimed at forcing production back to U.S. soil, though it remains unclear how streaming giants like Netflix—which films globally—will be affected.
China has already fired back by reducing American film imports, signaling this cultural trade war is just heating up. With Hollywood heavyweights like Jon Voight and Mel Gibson serving as Trump’s “special envoys” to revive the industry, the battle for cinematic dominance is now playing out in the economic arena.
