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Out of nowhere and typical of social media, the American President Donald Trump opened a new front in his economic war: the cinema screen. At Truth Social, he announced in the early morning of May 5 that the United States would improve a 100 % customs on all films produced abroad.
“A threat to national security” according to Donald Trump
“The film industry in America dies very quickly,” writes Trump. “Hollywood and many other areas in the USA are destroyed. This is a concerted action by other nations and therefore a threat to national security. It is […] Message transmission and propaganda! “
What sounds like a nostalgic song on “the good old days” is actually a direct intervention in a globalized branch of industry that ensures over two million jobs for the United States. Trump’s solution: Import dumplings. “We want films to be produced again in America!” Said Trump.
Zollhammer on the canvas
The announcement did not follow a press conference, no draft law – just another post. Trump’s Minister of Commerce Howard Lutnick promptly reacted to X with the words: “We are there!”
What exactly means “here” remains questionable. So far it is unclear whether only movies are affected or streaming content from Netflix, Amazon or Disney+. Also open: Does customs apply to foreign films or productions that are simply shot outside the USA?
The fact is: Countries such as Canada, Australia and also some European countries have developed into hotspots of international productions with targeted cultural promotion and solid film infrastructure. According to “Forbes, around 6,500 films are produced every year. And according to the“ UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the USA is in second place in the largest film producer behind India.
Hollywood under pressure
In the past, Donald Trump has fired rapids of economic policy several times; Many of them were withdrawn, watered down or never implemented. Nevertheless, his previous customs plans have already had an impact: At the beginning of April, he was causing price losses in the entertainment industry. According to the “Billboard”, IHEATMEDIA’s shares broke up by over 13 percent, Cumulus Media by ten percent and liveone even stronger.
Hollywood was the symbol of American soft power for a long time. But the golden era now looks like an overexexcised statue. The Corona pandemic, the strike the screenwriter: inside and actors: inside and a steady decline in the cinema revenue have burdened the industry. Now the next blow may come. The large studios are dependent on international productions as well as on international markets. Films such as “Dune”, “Mission: Impossible” or “Barbie” are global projects; Financed, rotated and market across borders.