Two things every freedom-loving American despises? Woke Hollywood lectures and taxes disguised as “incentives.” Well, President Trump just pulled the curtain back on a decades-old scam playing out in studio boardrooms and union backrooms—and tossed out the usual script. Instead of more sweetheart subsidies, Trump wants a 100% tariff slapped on foreign-made films, forcing studios to bring production (and jobs) back to the United States, where they belong.

For once, the strategy isn’t to shake down everyday Americans to prop up an industry that openly mocks them. This isn’t another Washington compromise. This is America First economics: use tariffs to protect local workers, preserve cultural values, and revive domestic jobs—without costing taxpayers a dime. But don’t cue the patriotic montage just yet—because Hollywood has a very different ending in mind.

How the billionaires from Beverly Hills became beggars in D.C.

Hollywood’s jet-set elite—backed by a lineup of unions and special interest groups—are now playing the role of struggling underdog. After decades of outsourcing jobs, releasing mega-budget flops, and loading scripts with political activism, Tinseltown is suddenly lobbying Congress… for help.

What kind of help, you ask? Not jobs-focused tariffs like Trump proposed. Instead, they’re asking for tax breaks and federal subsidies—ones that would let them deduct up to $20 million in production expenses per project under a revived Section 181 of the tax code. In plain English: they want your money to bankroll their bottom line.

Actor and Trump ally Jon Voight, now serving as a special ambassador to Hollywood, met with the president to advocate for reshoring film production. Voight explained that several tax provisions were being explored to help the industry:

From Daily Caller:

“Some provisions that could be extended, and others that could be revived or instituted.”

Translation? They want special treatment—without the accountability. The letters submitted to Congress by Hollywood trade groups asked lawmakers to “adopt a domestic manufacturing and production incentive,” positioning their cash grab as job-friendly policy.

Here’s the irony: the industry lobbying for rescue managed to lose hundreds of millions at the box office in recent years producing politically loaded content. Take Disney’s Snow White remake—ripped apart by audiences and pundits alike. It’s projected to lose around $150 million, and its lead actress made headlines for openly disparaging Trump supporters. Or “The Marvels,” another certified flop, which burned through $237 million.

If Hollywood can’t understand their own audience, why should we invite them to misunderstand our tax dollars?

They lecture us on America—now they want her wallet

This would be laughable if it weren’t so insulting.

SAG-AFTRA’s lead negotiator praised efforts to boost American production—but the union remained vague on Trump’s tariff plan. IATSE, another major Hollywood union, leaned toward domestic incentives but worried openly about hurting Canadian members. Let that sink in—American union bosses arguing for policies that protect workers in a foreign country.

Meanwhile, back in reality, Trump’s proposal offers a direct, no-cost-to-taxpayers way to bring jobs back home. But Hollywood wants the easier route: a handout disguised as economic patriotism. Under Section 181, they’d get to deduct costs upfront—even before the movie hits screens. That’s a green light for productions that cost millions regardless of whether Americans want to see them or not.

Let’s call it what it is: a bailout for an industry that sneers at your values, preaches every progressive fad, and churns out content that insults the very people now expected to fund it.

Hard pass.

Make movies American again—without paying for them twice

Here’s what shouldn’t be controversial: If a 100% tariff gets Hollywood to hire American workers, shoot in American towns, and tell stories that actually respect traditional values—it’s worth every penny studios will have to cough up. Let the studios feel the pinch. Not the people.

President Trump’s approach isn’t anti-film. It’s pro-American filmmaking. Real filmmaking. The kind that used to thrive in Tennessee, Texas, and small-town Georgia. The kind that supported jobs in Main Street diners, lighting crews, and family-owned costume shops. The kind that helped build America’s cultural legacy—not tear it down.

So no, we shouldn’t foot the bill for another reboot of a legacy fairy tale with rewritten morals and political sermons. And we certainly shouldn’t be giving tax breaks to the very industry that called us all “deplorable.”

Want to make movies in America again? Great. Don’t start by looting the treasury. Start by doing what every family business in this country already does: earn it.

Key Takeaways

• President Trump’s plan puts American jobs and values before globalist film subsidies.
• Hollywood elites want taxpayers to bail out their failed, woke productions.
• Tariffs protect conservatives from funding content that mocks their beliefs.
• It’s time to stop Hollywood’s cash grabs and hold them accountable.

Sources: Scribd, The Hollywood Reporter