In a sweeping move aimed at reviving the American film industry, US President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has authorised the Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative (USTR) to begin the process of imposing a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the US.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized other nations for offering lucrative incentives to lure American studios and filmmakers abroad and described the situation as both an economic and national security threat.
“The American movie industry is dying a very fast death” Trump stated. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
Trump emphasized the need to return to domestic film production, and said, “We want movies made in America again!” He added that the new tariffs are intended to level the playing field and encourage studios to keep their operations on US soil.
In a separate announcement on Sunday, Trump also revealed plans to reopen the iconic Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay. He reportedly directed the Bureau of Prisons, in coordination with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to rebuild and expand the historic facility, which once housed some of the nation’s most notorious criminals before closing in 1963.
“Rebuild, and open Alcatraz!” Trump wrote. “When America was a more serious nation, we knew how to isolate the most dangerous offenders. It’s time to bring that back.”
Trump said the new Alcatraz would serve as a high-security facility for the country’s most violent and dangerous criminals.
(With input from Reuters)
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