In an unpredictable move, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a 100 percent tariff on movies produced overseas, stating that the American movie industry is ‘dying’ a very fast death. Trump’s surprising move comes nearly a month after China said that it would ‘moderately reduce Hollywood film releases in the country. Taking to Truth social, Trump announced that he has issued instructions to the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to initiate the tariff imposition process immediately.

Trump Terms Issue As ‘National Security Threat’

Amid a global trade war, Trump accused foreign countries of luring American filmmakers and studios away from the US. He added that ‘this is a concerted effort by other nations, terming the issue a ‘National Security threat.’ In his post on X, the US President wrote, “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!” He concluded his post, noting, “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

China-US Growing Trade War

The Republican leader’s latest move aligns with a series of actions in the past. The decision comes as a surprise to many, particularly after the China National Film Administration warned that any wrong move by the US government to abuse tariffs on the country would reduce the domestic audience’s favourability towards Hollywood films.

Notably, Trump’s unforeseen decision would largely impact the US movie industry as the Chinese market was once considered a major source of revenue. However, Trump had said that he was untroubled by China’s decision to target the American film industry. Responding to a question, he had mentioned, “I think I’ve heard of worse things.”