Trump Proposes 100% Tariff on Foreign-Made Films—Hollywood Braces for Impact

In a move that sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, former President Trump announced plans to slap a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the U.S. The proposal—dubbed ’America First Cinema’ by insiders—could force studios to reshore production or face brutal cost hikes.

Wall Street analysts immediately downgraded streaming stocks—because nothing says ’economic strategy’ like kneecapping an industry that actually generates soft power. Meanwhile, crypto traders shrugged and bought more memecoins.

He said he has instructed the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to begin the tariff process immediately.

The statement offered no clear definition of produced in foreign lands, which could mean anything from anime to Hollywood blockbusters partly shot abroad. For instance, Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Thunderbolts” is filmed mainly in the United States but partly in Malaysia.

Motion pictures complicate Trump’s tariff model.

Tariffs have been a hallmark of Trump’s trade agenda, but so far, they have targeted physical goods that can be inspected at ports.

Although films still arrive on Blu-ray discs, a growing share is streamed. How officials would collect a 100% levy on a Netflix or Disney+ stream remained unanswered Sunday.

The New York Times recently reported that filming overseas can cut jobs for American crews. California Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing to raise state tax credits to keep productions at home.

Trump, though, often dismisses direct subsidies. Last year, he called a Biden-era incentive program for semiconductor plants “ridiculous.”

The tariff plan is part of a broader effort to reshape Hollywood’s political landscape.

Soon after taking office, Trump named actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight, and Sylvester Stallone “special ambassadors” to the film industry.

Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr later opened an inquiry into Disney’s diversity rules, which include targets for writers and actors from underrepresented groups.

While the president has shelved or delayed some trade penalties in the past, he has pressed ahead with a U.S.–China tariff fight that has raised fears of recession.

His new threat against foreign-made movies, though clouded by practical questions, signals he may again be willing to test the limits of trade law in pursuit of domestic goals.

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