President Donald Trump escalated his trade agenda this week, announcing sweeping new tariffs that target the global movie industry.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said his administration would impose a 100% tariff on any film produced outside the United States, regardless of whether the studios behind them are foreign-owned or American.
The president argued that America’s once-dominant movie industry has been “stolen” by foreign competitors, blaming California’s Democratic governor for allowing what he called a “never ending problem.”
“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’ California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States,” Trump wrote.
While the White House has not provided a timeline for implementation, the threat has already drawn concern from Hollywood.
Back in May, when Trump first floated the idea, United Talent Agency’s vice chairman warned CNN that such a policy “has the ability to bring the movie business to a standstill, which is the last thing Hollywood needs after dual strikes and a content recession.”
The film tariff announcement comes just days after Trump unveiled a separate measure targeting the pharmaceutical industry. On Friday, he said that beginning October 1, 2025, a 100% tariff will apply to branded and patented drugs imported into the U.S., unless companies are actively building manufacturing plants inside the country.
“Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100 per cent Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” Trump declared.
Unlike earlier proposals that suggested a gradual rollout of pharmaceutical duties, Trump’s final decision came with a hard line. The exemption applies only to companies currently breaking ground or actively building U.S. facilities.
For patients dependent on imported medications, critics fear the move could mean supply disruptions and higher prices at the pharmacy counter.
But pharmaceuticals weren’t the only target. Trump announced:
- A 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and related imports.
- A 30% tariff on upholstered furniture.
- A 25% tariff on heavy-duty trucks manufactured abroad.
“The reason for this is the large scale ‘FLOODING’ of these products into the United States by other outside Countries,” Trump wrote, insisting that the measures are necessary “to protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process.”
The president tied the truck tariffs directly to America’s backbone industry: transportation. “We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!
This is a developing story, more to follow soon.
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