White House Casts Doubt on Trump's Foreign Film Tariff…

White House Casts Doubt on Trump's Foreign Film Tariff Threat After Industry Backlash

The White House clarified on Monday that no final decisions have been made regarding an announcement to impose 100% tariffs on foreign-produced films. The message comes a day after President Donald Trump announced the measure on social media, triggering concern and backlash across the global film industry.

"Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump's directive to safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again," said White House spokesperson Kush Desai, according to The Guardian.

Trump himself softened his tone on Monday, saying he would consult with studios before proceeding. "I'm not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry," he said. "So we're going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they're happy with it because we're all about jobs."

Trump's original announcement on Truth Social authorized the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative "to immediately begin the process" of imposing the tariffs. He provided limited detail but argued that the U.S. film industry was "dying a very fast death" and blaming foreign countries' incentives for luring American filmmakers abroad, a scenario he described as a "national security threat."

Industry reaction was swift, and stocks for U.S.-based entertainment companies dipped on Monday, with Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount all seeing declines. International allies expressed concern as well. Among them was Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who vowed to defend his country's screen industry. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also said his government would advocate for its film sector. In the UK, lawmakers and unions warned of potential job losses and damage to transatlantic business ties.

The proposed tariffs were part of a broader plan submitted to Trump by actor Jon Voight and his business partner Steven Paul during a weekend meeting at Mar-A-Lago, as The Hollywood Reported explains. Their proposal also includes federal tax incentives, revisions to the tax code, co-production treaties, infrastructure subsidies, and limited-use tariffs.

"We look forward to working with the administration, the unions, studios, and streamers to help form a plan to keep our industry healthy and bring more productions back to America," Voight said in a statement.

Data from production tracker ProdPro suggests the U.S. has been losing ground in film production. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of U.S.-based productions with budgets over $10 million fell from 466 to 304, while international projects in the same category rose from 420 to 489 as CNBC reports. The top five preferred production locations for 2025–2026, according to studio executive surveys, are all outside the U.S., driven largely by more attractive tax incentives abroad.

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