The latest move by convicted felon Donald Trump is placing tariffs on foreign-made films–a move that can only be described as ridiculously absurd. Let’s get the ridiculousness of this stupidity out of the way: movies are intellectual property. Would there be a tariff on the reel or DCP that gets sent to theaters? How would this impact film festivals should they select foreign-made films for their lineup?

UPDATE: 50 U.S. Code § 1702 strictly prohibits a president from imposing tariffs on movies. Donald Trump is a guy that campaigned on the U.S. Constitution has neither read the U.S. Constitution nor U.S. Code. Here’s a brief excerpt that shows what he is trying to do is not allowed under his presidential powers:

(3) the importation from any country, or the exportation to any country, whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission, of any information or informational materials, including but not limited to, publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds.

There are a few ways to read into what Donald Trump is saying. Is he targeting foreign-made films from foreign countries? Or is he going after American-made films that turn to the likes of Canada, Britain, and elsewhere because the incentives lower the costs of financing? Either way, America is screwed because nobody is going to support movie theaters if they are forced to raise ticket prices. Theaters make the majority of their money from concessions. The cost of tickets will increase because studios will require an increase to break even. Streaming services won’t be much better for the same reason.

If we’re approaching this from an angle of Donald Trump going after foreign films, is he so xenophobic that he doesn’t want any foreign-made films to play in American art house theaters? And yes, this would also apply to Israeli-produced films, even if they are not getting much of a positive reception by way too many people right now. Israeli films have a niche American audience but they would still be a target of these absurdly ridiculous tariffs. But again, Israelis would not be the only losers in the situation. No, it would be American businesses and consumers, not to mention the global economy. Don’t just take my word for it, listen to Ben Stein.

Donald Trump thinks the movie business is dying but it’s not because of foreign films. Production is rebounding after a slow recovery after the pandemic, double strikes, and recent Los Angeles wildfires. The biggest culprit, if anything, is the rising cost of movie tickets and audiences having been trained to wait for movies to arrive on a streaming service. Netflix licenses so many foreign films and TV series–don’t think for a second that these tariffs, if they’re even enforceable–would lead streamers to double their subscription costs, leading to a massive drop in customers. It’s an attack on Hollywood in general.

Foreign films are not a national security threat. Sure, there might be some foreign-produced films that might get by the crack but it’s no different than select filmmakers in America releasing films with a dangerous agenda. Donald Trump–a twice-impacted convicted felon–is the real threat to national security. He is not fit for office and the only reason why he is there right now is because of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. That and the cultists who decided that inciting an insurrection on American democracy was not a dealbreaker in voting.

Some are reading into his comments as going after American companies producing their films in Canada, Britain, and elsewhere. It’s quite possible–his comments could be read as targeting one or the other.

If this the case, Donald Trump should talk to state governments about offering more tax breaks so that American producers would have an incentive to stay in America. That and not passing laws that are anti-women, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-voting. I think it’s the fact that Donald Trump–who I ought to remind you is a convicted felon–does not want Americans watching any foreign films or American films for that matter. He is not just targeting art house theaters. He is targeting all cinemas, streaming services, digital retailers. The biggest loser in all of this? American businesses and American consumers.

There are several questions about how this fascist authoritarian can go about enforcing tariffs on movies. Will Donald Trump send representatives to every art house theater in America? A lot of film is digital and this is something that can easily bypass a port of entry. How would something like this be enforced? But honestly, this reads like it is an attempt at censorship and it is not going to work. Look at who controlled all forms of media in the 1930s–it didn’t end well for them.

Donald Trump wants to do to the movie business what he’s already doing to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, public broadcasting, and grant recipients of the National Endowment of the Humanities. He is a vile xenophobic bigot and it shows in his targeting of the humanities because he knows that–with rare exception–the humanities are not supporting his agenda. Don’t forget that the Project 2025 agenda is that they consider anything to be illegal if it doesn’t have a Christian nationalist agenda.

You have to wonder what Jeff Bezos is thinking. I mean, Amazon acquired a Melania Trump documentary for $40 million, well over the price that many studios would pay to acquire a documentary. Amazon just formed a new studio venture for the James Bond franchise and this is going to be devastating for a globe-trotting espionage franchise. Elsewhere, tariffs would impact production and potential release of movies like Mission: Impossible or anything from Marvel and Lucasfilm. A lot of Star Trek series are shot in Toronto but somehow TV is escaping the fray.

This move comes ahead of the Cannes Film Festival. A lot of sales take place at the festival. You have to wonder what the mood will be like. Will anyone want to touch American products? Will studios even have an interest in acquiring foreign-made films? There are so many questions to ask that this is just barely touching the surface.

Placing tariffs on movies would be a deathblow for not just Hollywood but an entire global economy–a devastating deathblow that Donald Trump would have to own. There’s no blaming President Joe Biden for when stupid moves like this play into the failure of the American economy. Trump continues to show why historians consistently name him as one of the worst American presidents in history.

The reign of Donald Trump will, G-d willing come to an end on January 20, 2029.

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