SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Says Union Open To 'Advancing A Dialogue' With White House On U.S. Film Production After Trump Tariff Proposal
'SAG-AFTRA supports efforts to increase movie, television and streaming production in the United States,' the National Executive Director of the actors' union said in a statement Monday morning. 'We will continue to advocate for policies that strengthen our competitive position, accelerate economic growth and create good middle class jobs for American workers.' He added: 'We look forward to learning more about the specifics of the plan announced by the President and to advancing a dialogue to achieve our common goals.'
More from Deadline
Donald Trump Indicates There Will Be A Meeting With Hollywood Reps Over Movie Tariff Proposal: "I'm Not Looking To Hurt The Industry"
'60 Minutes' Continues Hard-Hitting Segments On Trump With Look At His Attacks On Law Firms; Guest Compares POTUS Actions To A Mob Boss
Donald Trump, In Separate Posts, Lashes Out At Fox News Personalities Howard Kurtz And Karl Rove
Trump's announcement on Sunday evening rattled the industry, as studios have come to depend on shooting pricey tentpoles in other countries including Canada, Australia and the UK. However, the White House was quick to walk back the bold assertion by Monday morning, claiming that 'no final decisions' have been made on whether to impose foreign film tariffs.
The President told reporters Monday that he was planning to set meetings with entertainment industry representatives to discuss the matter, assuring: 'I'm not looking to hurt the industry. I want to help the industry.'
Trump's announcement comes as reports began circulating around Tinseltown that Jon Voight, one of the President's appointed 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood, had been taking meetings around town with the intention of devising a plan to present to the President with a plan for boosting domestic production. Sources with knowledge of these conversations tell Deadline that they focused primarily on the idea of a federal tax credit that could work in tandem with state-led funding initiatives to compete with the enticing financial incentives offered abroad.
Production workers and union representatives have been sounding the alarm on runaway production for some time. The issue has worsened in recent years as the industry experienced a global production contraction, which was greatly accelerated by years of shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic and 2023's dual strikes.
Currently, California lawmakers are weighing proposed changes to the state's own Film & TV Tax Credit Program to up the cap from $330M annually to $750M and expand eligibility to include a broader range of projects, among other things. While Gov. Gavin Newsom has made the production exodus issue a top priority, he was also one of the first to openly oppose Trump's tariff proposal.
Newsom's team tells Deadline that Trump 'has no authority to impose tariffs' on the film and television industry, setting the stage for a bit of a showdown over how to truly save Hollywood.
Details on Trump's tariff proposal are murky, and there are many questions left unanswered, including what Trump actually means by a 100% tariff on movies produced in other nations and whether it will include television. What does seem clear is that, if Trump moves forward with the proposal, it's likely to be challenged in court.
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Brad Pitt's Apple 'F1' Movie: Everything We Know So Far
Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Trump says semiconductors will face 100% tariff unless companies build in US
President Trump said that he will implement a 100% tariff on semiconductors manufactured overseas unless the companies have committed to build in the US. Trump made the announcement during a press event in the Oval Office alongside Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook who was onhand to unveil an additional $100 billion investment in research and manufacturing in the US. "The good news for companies like Apple is, if you're building in the United States, or have committed to build, without question, commited to build in the United States, there will be no charge," Trump said. The semiconductor tariff is a part of the Trump administration's Section 232 national security investigation into chip manufacturing. According to Trump, if a company says it will build in the US, but doesn't, they will once again face tariffs as well as back tariffs. The tech industry has been waiting on tenterhooks to find out what semiconductor tariffs would look like, and whether they would apply to individual semiconductors or to chips built into devices. Additional tariffs could drive up the price of everything from smartphones and laptops to home electornics and more. Apple also is also expected to dodge Trump's newest tariffs on India, which could reach as much as 50% in three weeks, with a White House official saying that the company wouldn't have to deal with the bulk of the tariffs. Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@ Follow him on X/Twitter at @DanielHowley. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age. The Republican president said that companies who make computer chips in the US would be spared the import tax. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of cars and contributed to an uptick in overall inflation. His announcement came as Apple chief executive Tim Cook joined Mr Trump at the White House on Wednesday to announce a commitment by the tech company to increase its investment in US manufacturing by an additional 100 billion dollars (£74.9 billion) over the next four years. 'This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,' Mr Trump said at the press conference. 'Today's announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become among the greatest investment booms in our nation's history.' As part of the Apple announcement, the investments will be about bringing more of its supply chain and advanced manufacturing to the US as part of an initiative called the American Manufacturing Programme, but it is not a full commitment to build its popular iPhone device domestically. 'This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components — semiconductor chips included — that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we're grateful to the president for his support,' Mr Cook said in a statement announcing the investment. The new manufacturing partners include Corning, Coherent, Applied Materials, Texas Instruments and Broadcom among others. Apple had previously said it intended to invest 500 billion dollars (£374 billion) domestically, a figure it will now increase to 600 billion dollars (£449 billion). Mr Trump in recent months has criticised the tech company and Mr Cook for efforts to shift iPhone production to India to avoid the tariffs his Republican administration had planned for China. While in Qatar earlier this year, Mr Trump said there was 'a little problem' with the Cupertino, California, company and recalled a conversation with Mr Cook in which he said he told the businessman 'I don't want you building in India'. India has incurred Mr Trump's wrath, as the president signed an order on Wednesday to put an additional 25% tariff on the world's most populous country for its use of Russian oil. The new import taxes to be imposed in 21 days could put the combined tariffs on Indian goods at 50%. Apple's new pledge comes just a few weeks after it forged a 500 million-dollar deal with MP Materials, which runs the only rare earths producer in the country. That agreement will enable MP Materials to expand a factory in Texas to use recycled materials to produce magnets that make iPhones vibrate. Speaking on a recent investors call, Mr Cook emphasised that 'there's a load of different things done in the United States'. As examples, he cited some of the iPhone components made in the US such as the device's glass display and module for identifying people's faces and then indicated the company was gearing to expand its productions of other components in its home country. 'We're doing more in this country, and that's on top of having roughly 19 billion chips coming out of the US now, and we will do more,' Mr Cook told analysts last week, without elaborating. News of Apple's latest investment in the US caused the company's stock price to surge by nearly 6% in Wednesday's midday trading. That gains reflect investors' relief that Mr Cook 'is extending an olive branch' to the Trump administration, said Nancy Tengler, chief executive of money manager Laffer Tengler Investments, which owns Apple stock. Despite Wednesday's upturn, Apple's shares are still down by 14% this year, a reversal of fortune that has also been driven by the company's botched start in the pivotal field of artificial intelligence.
Yahoo
a minute ago
- Yahoo
Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely pushing up cost of electronics
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age. The Republican president said that companies who make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to an uptick in overall inflation. Sign in to access your portfolio
