UPDATED: Donald Trump told reporters that there will be a meeting with entertainment industry representatives, as he and White House officials took a more cautious tone to his proposal for a 100% tariff on movie imports.
“I’m not looking to hurt the industry; I want to help the industry,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“We’re going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they’re happy with it, because we’re all about jobs.”
He did not say who he or others at the White House would meet with or when it would take place.
Earlier, the White House said this morning that “no final decisions” have been made on whether to impose foreign film tariffs, after Donald Trump said that he was authorizing agencies to pursue 100% levies on movies produced in other countries.
“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,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai.
Trump’s announcement on Sunday evening rattled the industry, as studios have come to depend on shooting pricey tentpoles in other countries including Canada, Australia and the UK.
The latest White House statement softened what the president said on Sunday.
He wrote on Truth Social, “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 U.S.A., 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 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.”
The White House also sent out a list of reports from The New York Times and other outlets on struggling communities in the wake of production flight elsewhere. That has included areas outside of Los Angeles, like New Orleans.
The Motion Picture Association has not yet commented on Trump’s comments on Sunday, as studio representatives have scrambled to find out more details of the president’s plans and how to respond. The MPA also did not respond to a request for comment about a White House meeting.
A spokesman for California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “We believe he has no authority to impose tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, since tariffs are not listed as a remedy under that law.”
In fact, movies actually are listed as an exception to presidential authority under the International Emergency Powers Act, which gives the president authority to address threats to national security and the economy.
There also has been a great deal of concern over what would happen to streamers, as well as middle and low budget productions. But even though the U.S. film business has a trade surplus, Trump pointed to other countries that have lured jobs away with generous incentives.
Jon Voight, serving as one of Trump’s “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, has been devising a plan for the industry, with some expectation that it would include a federal tax incentive, which is far different from an across-the-board tariff. California State Sen. Ben Allen told Politico that he heard from Voight about the possibility of new tariffs.
