President Donald Trump on Monday announced a 100 per cent tariff on films produced overseas, saying the movie industry in the US was "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," he posted on Truth Social.
"It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda. Therefore, 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," Trump added.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote on X that they were "on it".
It was not immediately clear whether the tariff would target production companies, foreign or American, producing films overseas.
Trump's move comes nearly a month after China said it would "moderately reduce" the number of US films it imported into the country, amid a trade war between the world's two largest economies.
"The wrong action of the US government's indiscriminate tariffs on China is bound to further reduce the favourable impression of domestic audiences on American films," a statement from China's film administration said on April 10 after Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 125 per cent.
Trump, since returning to the White House in January, has triggered a trade war with China and imposed global tariffs that have roiled markets.
Barring China, he has announced a pause on his sweeping tariffs imposed on dozens of countries till July.
