Trump Announces 100% Tariff on Foreign-Made Films, Citing ‘National Security Threat’ to Hollywood

U.S. President Donald Trump has declared his intention to impose a 100% tariff on all films produced outside the United States, arguing that the outflow of movie production is destroying Hollywood and poses a threat to national security.

In a post on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, Trump wrote, “I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

The order comes amid growing criticism of Trump’s sweeping trade policies, which have already seen massive tariffs imposed on China and other countries. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed the president’s directive, posting “We’re on it,” in response to the announcement. However, no implementation timeline or procedural details were released.

Trump argued that countries such as Canada, the UK, and Australia are luring U.S. filmmakers with lucrative incentives, weakening domestic production. “Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump claimed. “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death.”

The move follows a sharp decline in U.S. film production spending, which dropped 26% in two years to $14.5 billion, according to industry tracker ProdPro. Despite remaining a key global hub, the United States now ranks below five international regions as the top choices for major productions, with Toronto, the UK, Vancouver, Central Europe, and Australia leading the list.

The president’s claim that film production abroad is a national security issue was not backed by specifics, and the potential impact on television productions was not addressed. Hollywood has been slow to recover from the effects of the pandemic and recent labor strikes, with streaming trends also reshaping the industry.

Trump, who has long received minimal support from the entertainment world, appointed actors Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight as special envoys to Hollywood earlier this year, vowing to make the industry “stronger than ever before.”

As of now, industry leaders and trade analysts await further clarification on how the administration plans to implement and enforce this new film tariff policy.