The Trump administration has not yet finalised any decision on foreign film tariffs but is “exploring all options” to fulfill President Donald Trump’s directive to protect the domestic movie industry, White House spokesman Kush Desai said on Monday (May 5).
“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,” Desai said in a statement.
Trump claims foreign incentives are killing US cinema
The policy discussion follows Trump’s Sunday post on Truth Social, in which he declared that the American film industry was dying a “very fast death” due to aggressive foreign subsidies luring away US-based productions.
To counter that, Trump announced he was authorising agencies such as the Department of Commerce to initiate a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the United States and imported for distribution.
Trump wrote on Truth Social saying he was “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’re on it”: Commerce chief signals action
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick offered a brief confirmation of the administration’s momentum, stating, “We’re on it,” but provided no further details. The US Trade Representative’s office declined to comment.
Industry in the dark over implementation
The White House has yet to clarify the legal basis or mechanism for the proposed tariff, leaving the film industry uncertain and concerned. As of now, the administration’s proposal remains in the exploratory phase, but the strong rhetoric and high-level involvement signal the possibility of major disruption ahead for international film imports.
Global footprint of Hollywood Productions
Many Hollywood films are global in nature, with production often spanning multiple countries. From international shooting locations to post-production work outsourced abroad, studios have long relied on foreign incentives and lower labor costs to manage big-budget projects.
However, it remains unclear how the proposed 100% tariff would be applied—whether it would target only new productions or also include films already completed but not yet released.
“Our film industry has been decimated by other countries,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “I want to help the industry. But they’re getting financing from other countries.”
