US President Donald Trump says he wants to place a 100% tariff on all movies made outside the U.S., claiming it’s needed to protect the American film industry. He shared his thoughts on Truth Social, stating that Hollywood is ‘dying fast’ as other countries offer better deals to filmmakers.
Trump called this an issue of ‘national security,’ arguing that foreign films are part of a plan to harm American culture. He instructed the Commerce Department and U.S. Trade Representative to start the process of taxing foreign films heavily.
Critics argue that the real reason American films are struggling is not foreign competition—but a lack of fresh ideas and overuse of sequels, superhero stories, and remakes. Others fear that high tariffs could lead to higher ticket prices and fewer movie choices for viewers.
The main victim of this taxation is likely to be Indian cinema—especially the Telugu film industry, which has seen tremendous growth in North America thanks to the large number of Telugu movie lovers residing there. It remains to be seen how this will affect the Telugu film industry.
Howard W. Lutnick, who serves as the United States Secretary of Commerce, has confirmed that they are already working on implementing the proposed tariffs.
Related