Donald Trump kicked off Monday morning with a flurry of Truth Social posts covering everything from North Carolina furniture manufacturing to the New York City mayoral race and the NFL. But once again, he zeroed in on California Governor Gavin Newsom — and vowed to slap massive tariffs on foreign-made movies.

“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’ California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit,” Trump declared. “Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

This isn’t the first time the former president has made the threat. Back in May, Trump described runaway production as a “national security threat” and floated the same idea of a 100% tariff. That push followed reports that actor Jon Voight, who was named one of Trump’s “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, had been working on a rescue plan for the industry. To date, that plan has not materialized.

While no executive action has been taken on the tariffs, such a move could significantly affect projects like Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ and Mel Gibson’s sequel to ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ both filming partly outside the U.S. Nolan’s production did shoot some scenes on Los Angeles soundstages, but it remains unclear whether that would shield the project from Trump’s proposed penalties.

Neither the Motion Picture Association nor the White House offered immediate comment on Trump’s latest remarks.

Governor Newsom, however, quickly responded on X (formerly Twitter):

“You’re already paying more for eggs, coffee, toys, shoes, electricity, furniture, cars, and flights. Now, Trump wants to raise taxes to see the movies. PAY MORE AND ENJOY NOTHING. That’s Donald Trump’s America.”

Newsom argued that Trump should support expanding California’s $750 million film tax credit into a nationwide incentive program. “You’re already paying more for eggs, coffee, toys, shoes, electricity, furniture, cars, and flights. Now, Trump wants to raise taxes to see the movies. PAY MORE AND ENJOY NOTHING. That’s Donald Trump’s America.”

His press office went further, blasting Trump’s plan as “100% stupid” and mocking it with the jab: “OMG! TRUMP IS NOW PLACING TARIFFS ON JESUS! SICK!”

When Trump first raised the idea in May, industry leaders scrambled to assess the potential fallout. Within a day, the White House said the Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representative would review the concept. Trump also promised a roundtable with Hollywood representatives, but the meeting never happened.

Roughly a week later, as the tariff talk faded, major studios, labor unions, Voight, and fellow Trump ally Sylvester Stallone sent the president a letter pushing for broader domestic production incentives. Notably, the letter avoided any mention of tariffs. Since then, many in Hollywood have hoped the issue would stay on the back burner.

Still, the industry remains wary. Generous subsidies in the U.K., Canada, and Australia have long attracted major U.S. film productions, and studios depend on those cost-saving opportunities. According to the MPA, the sector posted a $15.3 billion trade surplus in 2022, with exports totaling $22.6 billion — 3.1 times higher than imports.

There are also thorny legal questions. Movies are considered services rather than goods, making tariffs unprecedented in this area. Trump’s overall tariff powers are already under review by the Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in November. And under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, films are explicitly listed as exempt from presidential trade authority.

Trump’s renewed tariff push comes amid another feud — his attacks on late-night TV. After his FCC chairman Brendan Carr raised concerns, ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show and several major station groups followed. Disney later reinstated Kimmel, with Nexstar and Sinclair joining in. Trump slammed the decision and threatened the network once again.

TRENDING NEWS