Trump announces 100% tariffs on movies ‘produced in foreign lands’

Yes this man was democratically elected. There didn’t seem to be a particularly appealing set of options for the electorate.

As an outsider it seems a lot like groups pulling the political levers in the US only ensure candidates that can be ‘handled’ are put forward and those that can’t will be rooted out.

That’s why the choice was between braindead Biden vs deranged Trump. And when it was clear Biden wasn’t an option, a belated shift to try sell Kamala to the electorate.

I don’t think we’ll see strong presidential candidates - those clearly motivated to better the country and its citizens - in the near future either. The process now seems to suit the corporate and lobby groups who jostle to get their share of influence.

General strike, for example.

Trump is likely saying this because the new Prime Minister of Canada is visiting tomorrow, and Canada has been fairly successful building a "Hollywood North" industry -- lots of good filming locations, lots of talents that are indistinguishable from Americans, and tax credits on top.

This is 100% targeted at Canada, and trying to threaten destroying the Canadian film industry as another lever against Canada.

And it is laughably silly. Even in Canada alone, "Hollywood" nets far more than it ever spends here[1]. And of course worldwide media is something that the US has an enormous trade surplus. It's yet another harebrained bit of nonsense from the extremely smooth, simpleton mind of Trump and his greasy used-car salesman, carnival barker Howard Lutnick.

What Trump is really achieving in all of these declarations is making the rest of the world ask why do we accept Hollywood controlling the film or music industry, or Silicon Valley controlling the tech industry, or NYC the financial industry, etc? The end result of this is going to be massive decentralization and lowered importance of US industry leadership.

[1] Not to mention that the tax credits quite literally subsidizes the industry. And FWIW, I am wholly against tax credits for film productions, and much like paying a sports team to build a stadium, the accounting of the supposed benefit just doesn't make any sense.

Vancouver and toronto just had a heart attack. london UK and berlin probably far less impacted.

elbows up! Though i dont recommend continuing to antagonize trump even more because it's just triggering his ego and making him retaliate.