US President Donald Trump has triggered debate in the global entertainment industry with his latest declaration—plans to impose a 100 per cent tariff on movies produced outside the United States. The announcement, made via posts on his social media platform Truth Social, drew sharp reactions from filmmakers around the world, including Indian director Kabir Khan.
Trump argued that international productions have undermined America’s film industry, writing, “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 per cent Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.” He further claimed that foreign nations had “stolen” moviemaking from the U.S., likening it to “taking candy from a baby.”
Responding to the remarks, Kabir Khan questioned both the feasibility and clarity of the proposal. Speaking to NDTV, he said, “I have no idea what he means when he says ‘made outside of the United States’ because every second Hollywood film is shot outside of the USA, the VFX is executed outside of the USA. And tariff on what? The ticket price? His statement is too broad to be understood properly. Firstly, let’s see if he remembers this tomorrow when he wakes up.”
The filmmaker’s comments highlight concerns across the industry about how such a policy could even be enforced, especially given Hollywood’s heavy reliance on international shooting locations, post-production hubs, and talent pools.
Also Read: Shekhar Kapur slams Donald Trump’s announcement of 100% tariff on foreign films: “Over 75% of box office of Hollywood films come from outside the US”
