The US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a 100% 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.

“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Trump said he was authorizing the relevant government agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, to immediately begin the process of imposing a 100% tariff on all films produced abroad that are then sent into the United States.

He added: “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on X: “We’re on it.”

Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details on how the tariffs would be implemented.

It was unclear if the tariffs would apply to movies on streaming services as well as those shown in theaters, or if they would be calculated based on production costs or box office revenue.

Hollywood executives were trying to sort out details on Sunday night.

The Motion Picture Association, which represents the major studios, had no immediate comment.

In January, Trump appointed Hollywood veterans Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson to bring Hollywood back “bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”

Movie and TV production has been exiting Hollywood for years, heading to locations with tax incentives that make filming cheaper.

Governments around the world have increased credits and cash rebates to attract productions and capture a greater share of the $248 billion that Ampere Analysis predicts will be spent globally in 2025 to produce content.

On Monday, leaders in Australia and New Zealand responded to Trump’s tariff announcement by saying they would advocate for their local industries.

Some Marvel superhero movies have been filmed in Australia, while New Zealand was the backdrop for “The Lord of the Rings” films.

Hollywood producers and labor unions have been urging Governor Gavin Newsom to boost the state’s tax incentives to better compete with other locations.

Trump’s proposed movie tariff follows a series of trade conflicts initiated by his administration, which have roiled markets and led to fears of a US recession.

Former senior Commerce official William Reinsch, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said retaliation against Trump’s film tariffs would be devastating.

“The retaliation will kill our industry. We have a lot more to lose than to gain,” he said, adding it would be difficult to make a national security or national emergency case for movies.

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