Trump threatens 100% tariff on films made outside the US

US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on films made outside the US as part of his ongoing trade war.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, Donald Trump said he had authorised the Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative to enforce tariffs “on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands”.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” he wrote, claiming other countries are luring filmmakers and studios away with generous incentives.

“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”

Later, he told reporters at the White House after returning from a weekend in Florida: “Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States.

“If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff on movies that come in.”

It’s not clear how the proposed tariff would be enforced, as films, big and small, are often made partly in the US and partly overseas.

Big-budget films like the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are often shot in several countries.

For years, incentive programmes have helped shift film production away from California to other US states and countries like Canada and the UK, which offer generous tax incentives.

Philippa Childs, head of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu), said the UK industry is “only just recovering” from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many productions were delayed or cancelled.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

Tariffs are typically meant to steer consumers toward domestic goods, but in cinemas, American-made films already dominate the US box office.

China has boosted its own film industry, with the animated hit Ne Zha 2 earning over $2 billion (£1.5 billion) this year.

But even then, its sales came almost entirely from mainland China. In North America, it earned just $20.9 million (£15.7 million).

Trump has long voiced concern about movie production moving overseas.

Shortly before he took office, he announced that he had tapped actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to serve as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood to bring it “BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

Trump has recently embraced the label as the “tariff man,” by imposing steep taxes on goods from around the world. That includes a 145% tariff on Chinese products and a 10% baseline tariff on imports from other countries, with the threat of even higher rates.

By acting unilaterally, he’s wielded major influence over global trade, sparking political tensions and market uncertainty.

Tariffs already cover cars, steel, and aluminium, with more – such as pharmaceutical imports – expected to be added in the coming weeks.