The Spot Media & Film – “Shock,” “Bombshell,” “Threat”: Industry Reacts to U.S. Tariff Plans
by Marc Mensch
Trump’s Plan to Impose Massive Tariffs on Foreign-Produced Films Sends Shockwaves Through the Industry. The industry is in upheaval over Donald Trump’s plan to impose massive tariffs on films produced outside the United States. While it remains entirely unclear what shape this threat might ultimately take, the message is unmistakable. SPOT is gathering reactions from across the industry.
It landed like a proverbial bombshell: a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on the platform “Truth Social,” in which he announced that he had ordered “effective immediately” a 100 percent tariff on all films produced abroad. Exactly how and in what form this is to be implemented remains completely unclear—just like the fundamental question of what legal basis such a move could rest on. California Governor Gavin Newsom was among the first to immediately dispute the president’s authority to make such a declaration, which he aired late last night, European time. The sense of uncertainty is growing. SPOT is collecting industry voices here, and the list is being continuously updated.