Further light has been shed on Donald Trump’s desire to impose tariffs on foreign-made films, with Jon Voight reportedly providing the president with a partial roadmap to aid the Hollywood film industry.
On Sunday (4 May) Trump took to social media to brand foreign film production a “National Security threat”.
Posting on his own site, Truth Social, the US president wrote: “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 USA, are being devastated.
“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorising the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100 per cent Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
Jon Voight and Donald Trump outside the Oval Office in January 2020 (Getty Images)
Details about the controversial plan have been scarce following Trump’s rant, but Deadline has now reported that a team comprised of Voight, special adviser Steven Paul, and SP Media Group/Atlas Comics president Scott Karol has submitted a proposal to Trump at his Mar-A-Lago resort, detailing how film production in the US can be boosted.
Their idea is said to involve federal tax incentives, tax code changes, co-production treaties with other countries, as well as infrastructure subsidies for cinema owners, film and television production companies and post-production companies. The trio’s plan also includes notes on job training, and “tariffs in certain limited circumstances”.
In a video released on X/Twitter, Voight, who was named as one of Trump’s “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, claimed: “Our industry recently has suffered greatly over these past few years, and many Americans have lost jobs to productions that have gone overseas.”
Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, Voight added that “people have lost their homes” and “can’t feed their families”.
“The president loves the entertainment business and this country, and he will help us make Hollywood great again,” said Voight, who won an Oscar in 1979 for his performance in Coming Home.
In addition to Voight’s comments, Deadline reports that Paul said: “The American film industry, and Hollywood, is a beacon for teaching the American Dream to the world and is an engine for job growth and career opportunity. It’s essential that we preserve America’s leadership in film and television production.”
Karol echoed these thoughts, stating: “We’ve spent months meeting with top leaders across the film and television industry, and there is broad agreement that runaway production has become a serious issue that needs to be addressed now. This plan is about levelling the playing field so that producing right here in America is not only a competitive option but the first choice.”
On Sunday, the White House appeared to play down the severity of the tariffs, with spokesperson Kush Desai telling the Hollywood Reporter: “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.”
At the time of writing no meetings between Trump and studio producers have been scheduled. One source told Deadline: “We don’t even know when this is supposed to happen – it was sprung on us this morning when Trump made the announcement.”