Donald Trump announced that there will be a meeting held with representatives from the entertainment industry to discuss his proposal for there to be a 100% tariff on film imports. He did not give more information on where or when this meeting will take place, but he wants “to make sure they’re happy with [the proposal], because we’re all about jobs.”

Trump first announced this new tariff plan on Sunday evening. Using the platform Truth Social, he wrote, “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States, Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A. are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”

The film industry as a whole was understandably thrown off by the statement, as studios with bigger budgets rely on shooting in countries like the UK and Canada.  The BFC, British Film Commission, has already put out multiple statements confirming that they are to hold discussions with ministers “in the coming days,” with the British Film Institute stating that they plan to meet with the government to discuss the effects of this proposed plan. The UK would be one of the more affected countries with this plan in place, as they are “one of Hollywood’s top destinations for offshoring shoots.” Chair of UK Parliament’s Influential Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, Caroline Dineage, stated the film industry must be “urgently prioritized” in regard to the trade talks with Trump. Stating, “Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on U.S.-owned IP, is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic.”

In response to the backlash, White House spokesman Kush Desai gave a statement detailing that while “no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while ‘Making Hollywood Great Again.” All the while, a spokesman for Governor of California Gavin Newsom spoke on the issue, stating, “We believe he has no authority to impose tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, since tariffs are not listed as a remedy under that law.” Films are categorized as “an exception” to presidential authority under the Act, which allows the president the authority to approach “threats to national security and the economy.”

The Motion Picture Association has yet to reply to Trump’s statement on Sunday; they also have not released a comment as to the alleged White House meeting.