Trump Has "No Authority" To Impose 100% Movie Tariffs, Gavin Newsom Says; Studios Scrambling To Find Out What POTUS Want

[Eugene]

Earlier DU thread: Trump announces 100% tariffs on movies 'produced in foreign lands'

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Source: Deadline

Trump Has “No Authority” To Impose 100% Movie Tariffs, Gavin Newsom Says; Studios Scrambling To Find Out What POTUS Wants

By Dominic Patten

Dominic Patten
Executive Editor, Legal, Labor & Politics
May 4, 2025 9:45pm

EXCLUSIVE: Typical of Donald Trump, the details of POTUS’ just announced bombshell 100% tariffs on movies made outside America are vague. Yet, what is already very clear, as studios and streamers try to figure out next steps, is that the Governor of California won’t be playing a supporting role.

In fact, as Gavin Newsom pushes for his plan to more than doubling of the state’s film and TV tax incentives to $750 million annually, Trump’s newest tariff missive sets up a showdown between the Governor and the President over who truly wants to save the home of Hollywood.

Contacted by Deadline, Newsom’s office had no comment tonight on Trump’s social media declaration “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.” Even with Newsom slagged as a “grossly incompetent governor” that let Hollywood be “stolen” later Sunday by Trump on the South Lawn of the White House, the Governor’s team are taking a wait and see approach until more specifics are made available of the president’s desire for “MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

-snip-

“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,” Newsom senior advisor for communications Bob Salladay told Deadline this evening of the president’s undefined threat against overseas productions and their incentives. Perhaps setting the stage for another lawsuit from the Golden State against the MAGA administration and its chaos inducing tariffs, the initial reaction from the Governor’s team is sure take more solid form as more becomes known about what Trump really is up to and wants to see done.

-snip-

Read more: https://deadline.com/2025/05/trump-movie-tariffs-gavin-newsom-response-1236385079/

[Tootbsb]

1. He doesn't have the power to do any of it.

Congress has this power.

[tanyev]

2. Who cares what Donald Trump wants?

Every big movie studio has a legion of high-powered lawyers. Put them to work and tell him to FUCK OFF.

[Autumn]

3. Someone should tell those idiots to relax and avoid kissing his ass /

Tell the fat fuck they will see him in court. In fact, every time he does one of his EO coloring papers the target should tell him they will see him in court and go about their business.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

4. Brilliant! We've got to protect the American film industry from all of these cheap...

...films that China keeps dumping on us. You go to a movie these days and you can't even understand it unless you know Mandarin. Clint Eastwood--you know: big tough Clint Eastwood; and I think he had a .357 in his hand--came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, "thank you for saving the film industry Mr. President. We had slipped all the way from 85% of global box office sales to 69% over the last 10 years. People say they've never seen anything like it in the history of entertainment." /s

[Alliepoo]

5. The only thing the studios should be doing is

Meeting to determine the proper verbiage to tell donvict to Fu€k 0ff!! And actually those two words should be sufficient.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. trump cannot impose a tariff on a movie unless he can set up Customs offices at each movie theater