President Donald Trump said on Monday he will meet with some film industry officials about his plan for a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside of the United States.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he wants to make sure the film industry is happy with his tariff plan.
Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight says he suggested the idea for tariffs on films made in other countries before President Trump floated the proposal on social media over the weekend.
“After meeting with many of the entertainment leaders, I have brought forward recommendations to the president for certain tax provisions that can help the industry — some provisions that could be extended and others that could be revived or instituted,” Voight said in a video statement Monday evening.
“This would help the movie and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience,” he added.
The president tapped Voight, along with actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as “special ambassadors” to the entertainment industry at the start of his second term in January and tasked them with addressing Hollywood’s decline to foreign production.
“Our industry recently has suffered greatly over these past few years, and many Americans have lost jobs to productions that have gone overseas,” Voight said. “It’s been very serious.”
The plan that he presented to Trump, along with the actor’s dire assessment of filmmaking in the U.S., calls for “tariffs in certain limited circumstances,” as well as incentives for domestic-made movies.
“[Trump]’s a great businessman, a leader and a caring person that will always do the right thing for this country, the people and our beloved entertainment industry,” he said.
