Trump to Impose 100% Tariff on Foreign Films, Warns of National Security Threat.
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that the United States will impose a 100% tariff on all movies produced abroad, escalating his protectionist trade agenda to the entertainment industry. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that foreign competition had gutted Hollywood. “Our movie-making business has been stolen from the United States of America by other countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby’,” he wrote.
The tariff, set to take effect October 1, finalises a plan Trump first signalled in May when he directed the Commerce Department and the US Trade Representative to draft duties on non-US films. At the time, he described the situation as both economic and strategic, warning that “the American movie industry is dying a very fast death.”
Calling the influx of foreign films a “concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” Trump also framed the issue as one of propaganda. “We want movies made in America again,” he declared.
Industry experts cautioned that the policy could backfire, since many US studios—including Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros—routinely film abroad to save on costs. Analysts said the move could squeeze companies still recovering from the pandemic. Shares of entertainment firms fell in premarket trading after the announcement, with Netflix down 1.4% and Warner Bros Discovery slipping 0.6%, according to Reuters.
The measure also risks straining relations with China, the world’s second-largest film market.
The film tariff is part of a wider package of new trade barriers Trump has rolled out in recent weeks. These include a 100% tax on pharmaceutical drugs not produced in the US, a 50% duty on kitchen cabinets, a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, and a 25% levy on heavy trucks.
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