President Trump on Monday urged Congress to act “immediately” to establish a federal production incentive for film and television, throwing his support behind a growing effort to stem the loss of entertainment work to other countries.
In a social media post, Trump said Republicans and Democrats should “craft Legislation to save the Movie, Television, and Entertainment Business in America” and that Congress should approve it. He described Hollywood as “a Complete and Total Disaster,” saying it has been “hollowed out” by productions moving to Canada and other countries, and added that there is “no incentive” to work there anymore, which is “hurting California very badly.”
Trump credited actor Jon Voight, whom he has designated as a “Hollywood Ambassador,” with helping to push the idea. “He is a fantastic man who loves our Country,” Trump wrote, adding that Voight “hates what’s happened to it! It is being dissipated in its entirety.”
Trump said meetings are already being arranged with leaders of both parties, noting the effort should be bipartisan “especially since so much money is being lost in California, and other largely Blue States.” He suggested the legislation could be done “quickly” and predicted that the cost of tax incentives would be recovered “tenfold by the money pouring into the Treasury’s coffers.”
The proposal comes as foreign production incentives have attracted shoots to countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, according to reporting. Last year, 45% of all S. films and scripted television shows were shot internationally, up from about 33% in 2022. Some states, including California, have expanded their own credits—California doubled its offering last year to $750 million annually—but these efforts have not reversed the trend.
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, praised Trump’s announcement. In a statement, Rivkin said a federal incentive “would be a landmark step toward bringing more production to local communities in all 50 states, strengthening our nation’s economy, and making our country a more competitive place to produce, create, and tell great stories.” He added, “We look forward to continuing to work with the White House and bipartisan leaders in Congress to enact a meaningful and effective national incentive into law.”
Politico reported over the weekend that a bipartisan group of House members could introduce legislation as soon as September. Rep. Laura Friedman, a Burbank Democrat, said in a statement that the legislation “needs to pass — and to pass quickly. There’s no reason Canada, the UK, or Australia should be taking our jobs.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who has also advocated for such incentives, said at a March event: “State programs cannot simply substitute for the kind of global, federal and competitive tax incentives that are needed to bring production back to American soil and stop its offshoring. The urgency could not be greater.”
Trump has previously floated more aggressive measures, including a threat to impose tariffs on foreign-made films, but that idea did not gain traction. His latest comments are his clearest endorsement yet of a federal production incentive.