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Trump Threatens 100% Tariff On Foreign-Made Films (pbs.org)

(Monday May 05, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD) from the made-in-America dept.)


Donald Trump has announced plans to [1]impose a 100% tariff on all foreign-made films , citing national security concerns and accusing other countries of luring U.S. film production abroad with incentives. PBS reports:

> "The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," he wrote [on his Truth Social platform], complaining that other countries "are offering all sorts of incentives to draw" filmmakers and studios away from the U.S. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!"

>

> It wasn't immediately clear how any such tariff on international productions could be implemented. It's common for both large and small films to include production in the U.S. and in other countries. Big-budget movies like the upcoming "Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning," for instance, are shot around the world.

>

> Incentive programs for years have influenced where movies are shot, increasingly driving film production out of California and to other states and countries with favorable tax incentives, like Canada and the United Kingdom. Yet Trump's tariffs are designed to lead consumers toward American products. And in movie theaters, American-produced movies overwhelming dominate the domestic marketplace.

"Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States," Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday night after returning from a weekend in Florida. "If they're not willing to make a movie inside the United States we should have a tariff on movies that come in."



[1] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/trump-threatens-100-percent-tariff-on-foreign-made-films-saying-domestic-movie-industry-is-dying



What is considered "American Made?" (Score:1)

by walterbyrd ( 182728 )

For example, if you contract parts out to South Korea, is it still considered to be made in the USA?

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Under current Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, a product may be advertised as “Made in the USA” if “all or virtually all” of the labor and materials in the product are domestic. While this standard is relatively strict, it allows a bit of flexibility in at least two situations.

First, if the product is fully manufactured in the U.S. – primarily from U.S. materials, but with a very small amount of foreign content – the FTC standard allows the product to be describ

Re: (Score:3)

by UnknowingFool ( 672806 )

Yeah that does not help in the case of films. For example if principle photography was in the US but CGI was done in New Zealand (Weta FX), is that "American Made"? Like many things, I do not think Trump has any clue.

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Yeah agree for films it's probably uncategorizable, it's usually just by the language spoken which means nothing in terms of production.

Like I don't think Game of Thrones filmed anything in the United States and it starred mainly British and European actors but produced by American HBO. Is it American? We sure treat it that way.

Or Fury Road , Australian director, English actor, filmed in Africa but financed by Warner Bro's and marketed mainly in the USA.

Yeah this is so dumb on it's face./

Re: (Score:2)

by Drishmung ( 458368 )

Was 'Star Wars' an American film? You'd think so.

[1]Star Wars filiming locations [wikipedia.org]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_filming_locations

What Percentage filmed in the USA? (Score:2)

by drnb ( 2434720 )

> Yeah agree for films it's probably uncategorizable,

Why? Where was a scene filmed? In the same way auto manufacturers identify what percentage of their component parts are made in the USA, a film can indicate what percentage of the film was filmed in the USA?

And as the automakers indicate where assembly took place, the film can indicate where post production and editing took place.

> it's usually just by the language spoken which means nothing in terms of production.

> Like I don't think Game of Thrones filmed anything in the United States and it starred mainly British and European actors but produced by American HBO.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Matter of fact some of the locations are quite one-of-kind and you have to go there. Completely understandable. But if a movie i

Re: (Score:2)

by niftydude ( 1745144 )

"Hollywood" blockbusters that were filmed at Pinewood UK and would presumably attract this tariff:

- Avengers: Endgame,

- Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens,

- Avengers: Infinity War,

- Spider-Man: No Way Home,

- Jurassic World...

I don't think the Trump administration understands how modern films are made.

Re: (Score:2)

by batkiwi ( 137781 )

> I don't think the Trump administration understands

Fixed that for you

Re: What is considered "American Made?" (Score:2)

by anonymouscoward52236 ( 6163996 )

And also what constitutes a "film"? What about some sitcom that is produced in another country? And what constitutes production? A single episode? A single scene?

Get ready for rambo reboots (Score:2, Funny)

by johnstrass1 ( 2451730 )

DJT lives in his image of 80s Glory. Since Sly is a big supporter, look forward to more quality films

Re: (Score:2)

by stabiesoft ( 733417 )

Turns out this one is probably Jon Voight. [1]https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/0... [cnbc.com] I'm sure sly is on board though. Trump only has weird friends, people of a kindred spirit.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/trump-tariff-hollywood-movies.html

Re: (Score:2)

by Moryath ( 553296 )

You mean, Pedo J Trump lives in a delusional fantasyland of pre-Civil-Rights USA... back to 1927 when his [1]Klanass Crap Daddy was arrested for participating in a Nazi riot. [mtroyal.ca]

[1] https://librarysearch.mtroyal.ca/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_crossref_primary_10_1177_0096144219858599

The zero master is at it again. (Score:4, Interesting)

by Revek ( 133289 )

This is kinda stupid considering how many movies made for american consumption are in Europe. I'm the sure the idea is to be able to control the content since you can't have radical ideas like life liberty and the pursuit of happiness getting in the way of theirs. I kinda want to see Hollywood accounting beat the shit out of trumps tariffs.

Re: (Score:2)

by Tablizer ( 95088 )

> This is kinda stupid considering how...

Like most his tariffs. I wonder if he'll back out the last second right before fit hits the shan, or Queeg the economy?

Re: (Score:2)

by drinkypoo ( 153816 )

I've seen some stuff about him backing off this one already, but if I just think about this critically it seems not in line with his other policies, and therefore almost certainly was only an announcement intended to create chaos.

My reasoning is that he hates California, which oh yeah just got to the point where it would be the fourth largest economy in the world on its own, and bringing film production back to the USA largely means bringing it back to Hollywood at this time because that's where they're rea

Re: (Score:2)

by UnknowingFool ( 672806 )

There are many reasons films are not made in the US. Set location is a major reason. Any film that needs an old European castle is not likely to be made in the US for example. Shooting costs is a major reason why Toronto and Vancouver are used instead of New York City, Boston, or Chicago. And what about post production? Digital effects companies like Weta FX exist outside the US and companies like Industrial Light and Magic have branches worldwide.

Re: (Score:1)

by misexistentialist ( 1537887 )

> Shooting costs is a major reason why Toronto and Vancouver are used instead of New York City, Boston, or Chicago.

And it's cheaper to make stuff in China. There is government intervention for their own national benefit. Can Canadian or European films be made in the USA without losing taxpayer grants? I doubt it.

Re: (Score:2)

by UnknowingFool ( 672806 )

I know of no films made in China other than when China was the set location. Primarily US films might be in Canada because it is cheaper to emulate New York City, Chicago, or Boston specifically. If the location is set is American locations, it is normally shot in America. If the film is set in Europe, it generally is shot in Europe.

Re: (Score:2)

by ClickOnThis ( 137803 )

> I'm the sure the idea is to be able to control the content since you can't have radical ideas like life liberty and the pursuit of happiness getting in the way of theirs.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what behind it. Trump appears to be following the historical pattern of other dictators, putting his heavy hand on everything, including the arts. Note his takeover of the Kennedy Center, for example.

National Security? (Score:5, Funny)

by dskoll ( 99328 )

Oh yeah, it'd be totally catastrophic if "Sausage Party 3" were made outside the USA. That should set the F-35s scrambling!

Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward

"National security" is something he has to put in there.

Trump is allowed to use tariffs when there's a "National security" risk. Otherwise there needs to be laws and other tedious stuff nobody cares about any more.

It was the reason for the steel tariffs.

The whole world is cheating us "national security" reciprocal tariffs.

etc

It's just a box that needs to be checked.

We're being invaded by X. This loophole lets us deport people to X.

It's for "national security". This lets me do a tariff.

Re: (Score:2)

by Austerity Empowers ( 669817 )

Seriously, lately movies have been bombing so bad they are a threat to national security.

Trump Threatens 100% Tariff .... (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward

> Trump Threatens 100% Tariff on Foreign Air

For too long foreign air has blown unhindered and un-tarrifed over the borders of the USA. THIS CANNOT CONTINUE. From now on there will be a 100% tariff or foreign air to protect AMERICAN WIND-BAGS from UNFAIR COMPETITION from FOREIGN AIR. From now on there will only be AMERICAN AIR FROM AMERICAN WIND-BAGS!!! USA!! USA!! MAGA!!! MAGA!!!

Anything he doesn't agree with is a "threat" (Score:2)

by Kryptonut ( 1006779 )

Emergency Powers. If it's a "threat" to the country, he can bypass the correct channels. Simple as that.

Didn't this all start off as a national emergency regarding fentanyl? How did it turn into tariffs for all, and various other policies that bypassed the rest of the goverment's checks and balances - and an attack on the constitution?

Re: (Score:3)

by Vegan Cyclist ( 1650427 )

Well yes, approximately 0.1% comes from Canada, which according to the last White House press briefing will kill over 4 billion Americans.

Serious stuff.

Re: (Score:2)

by larryjoe ( 135075 )

> Emergency Powers. If it's a "threat" to the country, he can bypass the correct channels. Simple as that.

> Didn't this all start off as a national emergency regarding fentanyl? How did it turn into tariffs for all, and various other policies that bypassed the rest of the goverment's checks and balances - and an attack on the constitution?

How is Trump able to twist the laws to rule by edict? Because enough judges are willing to either approve his end-arounds or at least delay decisions. That and that Trump just ignores the judicial decisions he doesn't like.

Trump has learned from history ... that contortions to pass an enabling act are inefficient and unnecessary.

Re: (Score:2)

by msauve ( 701917 )

How is Trump able to twist the laws to rule by edict? Because enough judges are willing to either approve his end-arounds or at least delay decisions.

No, it's because Congress delegated the authority.

> What the president was required to do was simply in execution of the act of Congress. It was not the making of law. He was the mere agent of the lawmaking department to ascertain and declare the event upon which its expressed will was to take effect.

-Field v. Clark

Congress can take back the authority,

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Yeah this has been a long time coming for Congress being subservient and lazy, the Senate especially bear's this burden. We should have way more lawmaking, whatever aisle you are on.

It only takes a simple majority in the House to impeach and 67 to remove. I can see a world where 8-20 Republican House members vote that way but they know 14 Senators ain't doing it, no way no how. At the very least Congress as a whole, both aisles, should be passing shit left and right asserting their financial authority w

Re: (Score:2)

by databasecowgirl ( 5241735 )

Truely absurd. Everything has to be a war. No doubt it was part of the plan. Afterall, Trump assigned three ambassadors to Hollywood. Given the timing with the German film Exterritorial dominating the ratings with a store not exactly pro American given its plot based on America's betrayal of its allies, I imagine it made it an easier sell. Selling America as the leader of the free world, that's just getting harder all the time.

The USA is a cultural "exporter" (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Even if he finds a way to execute this (is based on budget? box office receipts? Home video sales? Royalties?) it'll just cause tariff responses.

This is the black hole of the Trump admin; they only believe in sticks. Carrots aren't real, they don't work despite all the times they have. You don't have to look further than Georgia, we've all seen the "Made In Georgia" at the end of several shows and that's because Georgia subsidizes and incentivizes the industry and today they have more productions than Cali

Re: (Score:3)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Also I think this may be related to his supposedly wanting to reopen Alcatraz [1]after watching "Escape from Alcatraz" on TV [hollywoodreporter.com] as it aired on a South Florida PBS (irony!) 2 hours before his tweet. Maybe that got him late-night rolling on the film industry.

I give that story a 50/50 being true but the fact we could all find it plausible speaks to a lot.

[1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/trump-reopen-alcatraz-escape-from-alcatraz-pbs-1236207822/

Re: (Score:2)

by Randseed ( 132501 )

I hope he doesn't watch John Carpenter's "Escape From New York."

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

A lot people think that's what NYC is like right now

Fuck Trump (Score:5, Insightful)

by Striek ( 1811980 )

And fuck everyone who follows him. He's a despot, a wannabe tinpot dictator.

That is all.

Nate White on Trump (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, a writer from England wrote the following:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously b

For the love of God. (Score:2)

by Randseed ( 132501 )

I saw this and was convinced it was a joke. Then I realized it probably isn't.

Now the moron has lost is completely (Score:3)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

Security concerns? In movies? And then tariffs to address security concerns? Is he going into deep dementia now?

Re: (Score:1)

by davidwr ( 791652 )

> Is he going into deep dementia now?

Are you suggesting he wasn't there already?

Re: (Score:2)

by gweihir ( 88907 )

He still knows his name, hence he cannot be in deep dementia. Ordiary dementia? Sure.

Re: (Score:3)

by UnknowingFool ( 672806 )

What do you mean "now"? He has been this way for years.

The dementia was going on for at least a year (Score:4, Informative)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

The media did something called sane washing where they covered for him but every now and then they just couldn't.

During the campaign he was at a town hall and just stopped taking questions for 40 minutes and swayed rhythmically to an iPod playlist.

The news media covered it as though he intended to do it and that it made him connect with voters instead of pointing out that he was clearly senile.

Meanwhile and Joe Biden was listening to a question being put to him by somebody off camera and the news media spend two weeks claiming that he was staring off into space when he was just looking at somebody off camera asking a question and preparing to answer.

The news media didn't just fail us they actively doomed us. Anyone who refused to protect Trump and destroy Biden and Kamala was immediately fired.

Demented Donnie (Score:2)

by abulafia ( 7826 )

He's been sundowning for a while.

Unlike Ron Reagan, not only doesn't he have a Nancy, but [1]nobody actually likes him [youtube.com] enough to care about him embarrassing himself. So his handlers will only care insofar as he's useful as a figurehead.

So expect them to try to keep him progressively more in the background, with him getting grabbier and more incoherent with mics. They will try to groom Juicy Divan to take more of the public relations load, which will not work, because he's a gormless freak with negative ch

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFHSZWBroKQ

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

My theory is that he is such a mutant of a human being and I mean that scientifically, that his whole personality and the way he answers and responds to everything, it's just autopilot. It's not impossible but it's very rare to find clips of Trump where he displays an actual understanding and communication of a particular issue, converys he has a nuanced consideration and can speak intelligently about it. Biden slowed down a ton but you could still find where he could do just that.

Trump will just keep goi

Re: (Score:2)

by GuB-42 ( 2483988 )

Trump is exploiting a loophole. He cannot impose tariffs unilaterally unless there is a threat to national security. So everything is a matter of national security.

Re: (Score:2)

by HiThere ( 15173 )

No, that's not evidence of dementia. He just likes to lie. (Mind you, other people have pointed to other events as evidence of dementia, but his isn't one.)

He lost it in 2015 (Score:2)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

"Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you're a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I'm one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it's true! — but when you're a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number

Throwing stones at glass houses (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward

Feels like Trump is trying to systematically destroy the USA.

These threats are idiotic given the US has more to lose in retaliatory tariffs. General expansion of trade war to intangible goods and services will destroy the US's global dominance.

Illegally dismantling foreign aid and influence (USAID, VOA..etc) as Russia and China cheer from the sidelines.

Putting fox news alcoholics in charge of the military.

Placing a regular viewer of RT in charge of US intelligence.

Pointless trade wars that will hurt the ec

He's already backed down (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

I think. I mean seriously I read that he backed down but then at the same time he could have already switched back as of the time I'm writing this. He's so fucking crazy and senile who the hell knows.

It's a good thing the markets love uncertainty and chaos because otherwise we would be going into a heavy duty recession soon, maybe even a depression.

Seriously is there anyone who voted for trump, and I know there's a lot of you out there, that is ready to defend any of this? Because you seem to be ke

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

> we would be going into a heavy duty recession soon, maybe even a depression

The upcoming weeks are when it seems like we will start to see some effects as these things are slow going. This week is the first we that ports will be seeing less containers coming in. Not a huge amount but like 8-15% is what I have seen but it has signs of a pattern and that will ripple out to other areas, particularly truck drivers and then probably some retail.

It's not gonna be bombastic like 2008 or COVID but a slow burndown as percentages trickle off week by week and prices tick up little by little

This isn't a good idea... (Score:2)

by ctilsie242 ( 4841247 )

All this means is that AI generated slop evolves faster in the US, and it may not have an effect due to the high seas.

I don't see this being a win at all.

Hollywood accounting (Score:2)

by dsgrntlxmply ( 610492 )

Good luck trying to derive a valuation on a leaky bag of hot gas and subterfuge.

Law says no. But what does he care about the law? (Score:5, Informative)

by quonset ( 4839537 )

In 1988 Congress passed a law amending the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, [1]to specifically remove things deemed “informational materials” [marketwatch.com] from items the president could make subject to sanctions and tariffs.

> Trump cited that act as giving him the authority to declare a national emergency under which he has imposed wide-ranging tariffs across the world. The language of the 1988 amendment, which is known as the Berman Amendment, is unambiguous, experts say

> “The statute couldn’t be more plain,” said Anupam Chander, an expert in international trade and global regulations law at Georgetown University. “Congress in 1988 specifically said the president does not have the power to regulate this.”

Let's see how many excuses the party of "law and order" makes to ignore the law.

[1] https://www.marketwatch.com/story/can-president-trump-really-put-tariffs-on-films-produced-abroad-the-law-says-no-2c3ceaf1?mod=home_ln

It's always about the ... (Score:2)

by Froze ( 398171 )

swindle. You know the defrauding, cheat, trick, fleece, dupe, deceive, exploit, squeeze, milk, bleed, fool, take advantage of, mislead, delude, hoax, hoodwink, bamboozle, string along, embezzle... I think you get the idea.

Now we just have to figure out how and who is in on it?

Now this will spectacularly backfire (Score:3)

by luckytroll ( 68214 )

I know in Canada, we have had a certain side-eye towards American cultural imperialism for a long time. We have struggled to maintain what we can CanCon - Content in which we see our own values and not just those of the USA. Likewise a lot of nations have worked to subsidize their own media industries. Sure we export media and we maintain jobs in the industry. But giving other countries an excuse to counter-tariff and effectively ban American culture exports means that the USA is giving up an empire of normalizing their cultural values and showcasing their power. What happens when there is no media in a country that normalizes the materialistic consumer driven culture of American products. What happens when folks stop getting to watch media that depicts American as being cool, even with subtitles or bad dubbing? When the world starts to doubt because the news Americas hold on power slips. When the world stops believing that America has it better because of their way of doing things, or their perceived power, that slip becomes a headlong tumble into irrelevance. US culture export serves as a giant marketing campaign that drives demand for US goods and respect for perceived US power. When you take away that campaign, others get to own that space.

How does this work? (Score:2)

by Petersko ( 564140 )

Is he suggesting the tariff apply to ticket sales? Korean media has been doing well... what about streaming? Of course I don't think it has been thought through... but it seems fuzzy.

But assuming there are retaliatory tariffs or outright bans, look at Snow White. $86M domestic, $114M elsewhere. Foreign box office is the thing keeping big budget profitable. Domestic can't do it alone. Tariffs might kill the industry he's "protecting".

Although it occurs to me that might be the end of Marvel movies and Star Wa

In every non-trivial program there is at least one bug.