No decisions yet on foreign film tariffs, White House says

Washington: US President Donald Trump's administration has not yet made any final decisions on foreign film tariffs, but is exploring all options to deliver on the president's directive concerning Hollywood, White House spokesman Kush Desai said on Monday.

Trump on Sunday announced a 100 per cent tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the American movie industry was dying a "very fast death" due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers.

A White House official noted that Hollywood film production saw a sharp decline in the first quarter of 2025, logging just 451 "shoot days" for feature films in the region - a drop of nearly 30 per cent from a year earlier.

In his Truth Social post announcing the new tariff, Trump said he was authorizing the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100 per cent tariff on all films produced abroad that are then sent into the United States.

The White House released no details on the legal basis for the move, or how it would be implemented, leaving many in the film industry flummoxed.

“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," Desai said.

The US Trade Representative's office had no immediate comment. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said simply, "We're on it."