Donald Trump wants to build a wall around Hollywood—and he’s starting with a 100% tariff on any film made “in foreign lands.” In a late-night Truth Social post, the president claimed the American movie industry is “dying a very fast death,” blaming foreign tax incentives, global co-productions, and what he calls “messaging and propaganda” as existential threats to national security. Now, as Trump channels his inner studio exec and tariff man in one, the U.S. film industry, already rattled by strikes and streaming chaos, is bracing for what could be its most surreal plot twist yet.
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Trump’s Hollywood Plot Twist
Trump’s post was vintage populist bombast: dramatic, vague, and ready to set Hollywood ablaze. Citing foreign subsidies as a national security threat, he claimed international locations were “stealing the movies and movie-making capabilities from the United States.” And in his words, “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
The move fits neatly into Trump’s history of weaponizing tariffs to rally his base and punish perceived enemies. Whether it’s steel, solar panels, or Chinese electronics, tariffs have long been part of his economic toolkit. But this time, he’s aiming at something more abstract: culture.
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What Does a 100% Tariff Mean for Film?
Here’s where the plot thickens. Unlike imported cars or consumer goods, movies aren’t physical commodities that show up at ports. Films today are hybrid, multinational projects made across borders with tangled webs of financing, crews, and intellectual property rights. So what exactly qualifies as a “foreign” film?
Is it where the actors are from? Where the cameras roll? Where the funding comes from? Would a Disney film shot in London but starring American actors count? What about streaming exclusives filmed overseas? Would Netflix be hit for hosting foreign productions?
Without clear definitions, Trump’s proposal reads more like a campaign soundbite than actionable policy. Yet the threat is real: any effort to tax foreign productions could chill distribution deals, raise ticket prices, and drive more content underground into streaming.
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Global Backlash: UK, Australia, and New Zealand Respond
International reaction came fast and sharp. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his country would continue to welcome productions, calling it “the best place to make movies, period.” Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke promised to “stand up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry.”
The UK, a major partner for U.S. film studios, especially felt the heat. Philippa Childs, head of UK media union Bectu, warned the tariffs could deliver “a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering.” Even the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for urgent trade protections.
If Trump follows through, the message to foreign partners is clear: you’re either with America, or you’re in the way.
The Real Target: Tax Subsidies and Gavin Newsom
Look past the bluster, and this might be less about foreign films and more about California. Trump’s timing is suspiciously close to Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest push to expand California’s film tax credits to $750 million annually.
Newsom, a political thorn in Trump’s side, also recently filed a lawsuit against Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify tariffs elsewhere. The film industry, long a blue state powerhouse, now becomes a new battlefield.
This could also be about eroding the appeal of foreign tax incentives—which have made cities like Toronto, London, and Wellington major film hubs at California’s expense. In this framing, Trump isn’t saving Hollywood. He’s punishing it for leaving.
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Who Really Gets Hurt?
Ironically, the people most likely to suffer aren’t Hollywood elites but the behind-the-scenes workers who depend on international collaboration. Lighting crews, makeup artists, editors, VFX specialists—many of them freelancers, many outside of L.A.—stand to lose gigs if production dries up overseas.
The ripple effects could hit mid-tier films and TV productions hardest, as they rely heavily on tax incentives and cheaper locations abroad. Blockbusters might survive. Indies won’t.
And if other nations retaliate with their own tariffs, the very export revenue Trump claims to protect—over $22 billion last year—could tank.
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Tariffs as Culture War
Ultimately, this move feels less like policy and more like performance. In the culture wars, Hollywood is an easy target: progressive, global, and full of celebrities who hate Trump. By framing international film production as an attack on American identity, Trump taps into the same nationalist sentiment that fueled his border wall and trade wars.
But movies aren’t just propaganda. They’re jobs. They’re diplomacy. They’re soft power. And in a globalized industry where the next “Barbie” might be shot in the UK and gross $1 billion worldwide, walls don’t protect Hollywood. They isolate it.
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Closing Scene
Whether this latest tariff threat is a serious policy move or just another campaign flourish, it sends a chilling message to the international film community. Trump may not understand how the industry works, but he knows how to pick a fight. And this time, the stage is global. As Hollywood braces for impact, one thing is clear: the credits won’t be rolling on this drama anytime soon.
