Actor Jon Voight, one of Donald Trump’s special entertainment ambassadors, said he recommended plans to “rescue Hollywood” a day after the president announced he would be imposing 100% tariffs on movies produced outside the U.S.
“I recently met with our president, Donald J. Trump, who loves the entertainment business, wants to see Hollywood thrive and make films bigger and greater than ever before, as he says, and see productions come back to American Hollywood,” the actor said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Voight, along with actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, were named Hollywood’s “special ambassadors” by Trump earlier this year in order to promote business in the U.S. entertainment industry.
The actor’s video comes just a day after Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he is “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” produced outside the U.S.
“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,” the president wrote Sunday.
Trump goes on to claim foreign incentives to draw U.S. filmmakers and studios away are a “concerted effort by other Nations” and “a National Security threat.”
“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump wrote.
According to reporting by The Hill, the White House said that while “no decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the administration is exploring all options.”
Voight revealed more details behind his plan in a press release shared with The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, stating that it would involve “a combination of federal tax incentives, tax code changes, co-production treaties and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners, production and postproduction companies.”
According to the report, the press release only called for “tariffs in certain limited circumstances” and not the 100% Trump announced.
Voight said on X he made certain tax provision recommendations to the president after meeting with entertainment leaders.
“Some provisions that could be extended and others that could be revived or instituted,” Voight said.”This would help the movie and television production and our beloved theaters that are so important to the American family experience.”