The White House is brainstorming how President Donald Trump's plan to impose 100% tariffs on films produced abroad. Some California Democrats say it's just causing disruption to the industry.
“The Trump administration has done a lot of crazy things, so when he says something crazy, you can't just dismiss it,” Senator Ted Liu told Notus.
On Sunday, Trump announced The true society He would begin the process of taxing all “films that come to our country, produced on foreign lands.” He also said films made outside the US pose a threat to national security without much explanation.
Even after multiple media companies' inventory It fell sharply on MondayTrump doubled the idea of tariffs and told reporters in the oval office that he would meet with film industry leaders and take them on board.
White House aides say the policy is still in the exploration stage.
“While there hasn't been a final decision on foreign film tariffs, the administration is exploring all the options to implement President Trump's direction to protect our country's national and economic security while making Hollywood great again.”
Some Democrats have choked Trump's threat as noise.
“This is pure disruption for this administration,” Rep. Derek Tran, who represents parts of Los Angeles, told Notus. “There's no focus. They're just trying to say tariffs on this day, and there's tariffs on another day. That's insane.”
While most of the California Democrats who Notus spoke to were skeptical of Trump's action, Rep. Lauren Friedman, a Democrat freshman whose district houses much of Hollywood, welcomed the attention the Trump administration has brought to the industry and called for them to consider an approach targeted by the president.
“We are grateful that the administration is aware that we are at a risk of losing one of our signature industries from the United States,” Friedman told Notus. “I personally don't understand how tariffs on film and intellectual property work, but I know that film tax credits work because they work in California.
“I would like to work with the administration to receive the national film tax credit,” she added.
Multiple outlets reported Trump's proposal came shortly after the president met actor John Voight at Mar a Lago. The actor who owns He has been a Trump supporter for a long time. He was then tapped by the administration as a special envoy to Hollywood, and reportedly met with Trump to discuss ways to boost the domestic television and film industry.
“I mean, tariffs are working on products. You don't know how they work in the film, right?” Rep. Scott Peters told Notus. “Every filmmaking in the world helps Americans, actors and crews. So I think it's just ridiculous, political.”
This story was created as part of a partnership between notus – Publications from the non-profit, non-partisan Allbritton Journalism Institute – and Newswellhouse The era of San Diego, Santa Barbara News Press and Stock Tonia.
