Trump will sit down with Hollywood insiders after announcing 100% tariff on foreign films

President Trump said Monday he wants to meet with movie industry leaders to talk about implementing a 100% tariff on foreign-made films to boost the US entertainment industry. 

“Hollywood doesn’t do very much of that business. They have the nice sign, and everything’s good, but they don’t do very much,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 

The president also said “a lot” of movie business is being taken to other countries and that his meetings with the industry will ensure “they’re happy” with his tariff idea.

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Trump, 78, said Sunday that his administration would “immediately begin the process” of slapping levies on movies produced overseas and imported by America, but did not say precisely when that duty will take effect.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to Trump by promising “We’re on it,” in an X post.

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Key mechanics of the proposed tariff are unclear, such as what percentage of movies would have to be filmed in the US to avoid the duty. 

Film and TV production has plummeted by 40% in Los Angeles over the last 10 years, FilmLA estimates, as countries like Canada have stepped up cash rebates and tax credit offers to entice production companies to film overseas.

That has led to cities like Toronto and Vancouver standing in for New York and Los Angeles in TV shows like “Suits” and films like “Suicide Squad,” “Deadpool” and the Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water.”
Last month, Trump’s longtime congressional nemesis, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) acknowledged his home state’s hemorrhaging of the entertainment industry and called on the government to step up with competitive incentives.

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“They’re leaving because they’re getting richer incentives in other states and other countries, and we haven’t kept pace with that,” Schiff said on “Real Time With Bill Maher.” “If we want to keep the industry here, we’re going to have to compete with tax incentives. California has started to do that.”

“On a federal level, I think the United States is also going to have to offer incentives to keep this industry here and to compete around the world.”

Prominent actors such as Ben Affleck have urged California to rethink its policies.

“I think part of the problem with California is they came to take this industry for granted a little bit,” Affleck told the Associated Press last month ahead of the premiere of his latest flick, “The Accountant 2.”

Trump has unveiled a slew of high tariffs since taking office.

Last month, he bumped up tariffs on imports from China to 145% for most goods, with a few exemptions. He also enacted 25% tariffs on automobiles, aluminum, steel and imports from Canada and Mexico that don’t comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

For now, he’s kept in place a 10% baseline tariff rate on virtually all goods and services from almost every country and is threatening higher rates by July 8 unless countries hash out new trade arrangements with his team.

With Post wires