Trump’s Tariff Tantrum: How One Man’s Ego Could Wreck the Global Film Industry
Paul Francis- May 7
- 2 min read
Let’s be blunt: Trump’s back, and he’s at it again. This time, the world's loudest ego has aimed his firehose of bluster at - wait for it - the film industry. Yes, the man who once appeared in "Home Alone 2" for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo now believes he’s the saviour of American cinema. His brilliant plan? A 100% tariff on all foreign-made movies.
From where I sit here in the UK, knee-deep in actual film production work, this idea isn’t just bonkers - it’s catastrophic. For the global film ecosystem, for creative freedom, and, ironically, for the very American workers Trump claims to protect.
Britain’s Booming Film Industry? Consider It Gutted
The UK has spent decades building a reputation as a world-class production hub. Studios like Pinewood and Leavesden are not just film sets - they’re economic engines. Hollywood giants come here for our talent, locations, tax breaks, and yes, our tea. It's a beautiful partnership.
Trump’s tariffs threaten to destroy that. A 100% levy on films made abroad? That turns a financially smart decision - filming in the UK - into a fiscal nightmare for American studios. Why pay double to shoot here when you can stay in Georgia or New Mexico, even if it means compromising creative vision?
The knock-on effect? Job losses. From camera operators and costume designers to local vendors and VFX artists, thousands of British workers could lose gigs overnight - all thanks to a man who thinks trade policy is a blunt instrument to be swung like a golf club.
The Irony of “America First”
Trump says he wants to bring jobs home. But in reality, he's undercutting the very global partnerships that sustain the U.S. industry. Hollywood doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It thrives on international collaboration. You can’t “America First” a Marvel movie when half the VFX are done in London, the score’s recorded in Prague, and you’re shooting in the Scottish Highlands because Los Angeles doesn’t have castles.
And let's not forget: foreign markets are keeping Hollywood alive. China, the UK, South Korea, Germany - all contribute billions in box office revenue. Piss off your partners with idiotic tariffs, and don’t be surprised when they stop importing your movies.
Creativity Shouldn’t Be Nationalised
Filmmaking is, at its core, a borderless art. It’s the alchemy of cultures, influences, and shared storytelling. Trying to dictate where stories can be told - under the guise of “economic patriotism” - is creative suffocation.
Imagine telling Denis Villeneuve he can’t shoot in Budapest, or Greta Gerwig she must ditch that Parisian dream sequence. Art doesn't respond well to artificial walls.
A Final Word from Across the Pond
To my American friends in the industry: we stand with you. We know this isn’t your doing. But we also urge you to speak up, loudly. Because if Trump’s tariffs become reality, it’s not just the UK that suffers - it’s all of us. Audiences will get fewer films. Creators will face tighter constraints. And the film industry, once a shining example of international cooperation, will be reduced to another casualty of one man’s nationalist fantasy.
Call it what it is: protectionism wrapped in paranoia. And the world deserves better.
