Trump Proposes 100% Tariffs on Non-US Movies Amid Trade Disputes
The US movie industry had already felt the impact of Trump’s previous trade policies. In April, China announced it was reducing its quota of American films permitted entry.
RMN Stars Report
US President Donald Trump has announced he will impose 100% tariffs on movies made in foreign countries, as he intensifies trade disputes globally. Trump stated he was authorising the US Trade Representative (USTR) to initiate the process for this levy.
According to Trump, the American movie industry is facing “a very fast death,” which he attributes to a “concerted effort” by other countries. He claims these nations offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, describing this as a “National Security threat”. Trump also characterised the situation as “messaging and propaganda”.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on various countries. He contends that tariffs boost US manufacturers and safeguard jobs. However, this approach has been linked to chaos in the global economy and anticipated price increases worldwide.
Ahead of his inauguration, Trump appointed three film stars – Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone – as special ambassadors. Their task was to promote business opportunities in Hollywood, a place Trump described as “a great but very troubled place”. At the time, Trump wrote that these envoys would work to bring Hollywood, which had “lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries,” “BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”.
Related Stories
[ Trump’s Tariff Pause: A Temporary Relief or a Global Trade Warning? ]
[ The Next James Bond: Casting Heats Up as Producers Aim for 2027 Release ]
[ Bollywood’s Credibility Crisis: Struggle Against Paid Reviews and False Hype ]
Despite challenges, the US remains a major film production hub globally. Data from movie industry research firm ProdPro shows the country saw $14.54bn (£10.94bn) of production spending last year, though this was down by 26% since 2022. ProdPro’s report indicates that countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK saw increased spending over the same period.
The US movie industry had already felt the impact of Trump’s previous trade policies. In April, China announced it was reducing its quota of American films permitted entry. The China Film Administration stated that the “wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favourability towards American films”. They added, “We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported”.
China has been the primary target of Trump’s tariff strategy, facing import taxes of up to 145%. His administration recently stated that with new tariffs added to existing ones, levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%. Beijing has retaliated with a 125% import duty on US goods. Other countries currently face a standard US tariff of 10%, a rate expected to increase when a pause on higher levies expires in July.
Speaking on Sunday (May 4), Trump mentioned meeting with various countries, including China, about trade deals. He clarified that he had no immediate plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, despite earlier reports. When asked about potential trade agreements this week, he said it was possible but offered no specifics.
Earlier in the week, Trump hinted he might be willing to lower tariffs on China at some point, stating, “At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise, you could never do business with them, and they want to do business very much”.
