Trump film tariff plan ‘not in the interests of American businesses’, UK lawmaker warns
There has been more reaction to Trump’s plan for 100% tariffs on films made in “foreign lands”, with a UK lawmaker warning it “is not in the interests of American businesses”.
Dame Caroline Dinenage is a member of the right-leaning Conservative opposition party who chairs the UK parliament’s culture committee. She said members of the committee had warned “against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe” in their report on British film and high-end TV, published last month.
She added:
President Trump’s announcement has made that warning all too real. Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on US-owned IP (intellectual property), is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic. Ministers must urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently under way.
Key events
Trump to meet US-Russian ballerina who was jailed in Russia over charity donation
Trump is scheduled to meet at the White House today with Russian American ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a White House official has told NBC News.
Karelina was released from a Russian prison last month after spending more than a year in custody following allegations of financially supporting Ukraine’s military.
She was arrested in Russia in February 2024 and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony after she donated $52 to a charity that sends aid to Ukraine.
Trump memecoin gala dinners set to raise millions spark questions from Republicans
Donald Trump has two crypto-focused dinners on the calendar this month — one aimed at deep-pocketed political donors, the other at meme coin millionaires. Both are poised to help him raise millions.
The first event, a $1.5m-per-plate MAGA Inc fundraiser set to take place tonight, is among the most expensive ticketed dinners in presidential history. Attendees are promised the chance to network with Trump’s inner circle, including David Sacks, the White House’s crypto policy architect.
The second, on 22 May, offers the opportunity to win a private dinner with the self-proclaimed “crypto president” for the top 220 investors in the $TRUMP meme token. For the top 25 coin holders at the gala dinner, which will be held at the Trump National golf club in Washington DC, there will be “an-ultra exclusive private VIP reception with YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT!” plus a “special VIP tour” of the White House, the coin’s website said.
But the terms and conditions dutifully state: “President Trump may not be able to attend the $TRUMP Gala Dinner, and the $TRUMP Gala Dinner may be cancelled for any reason (including, but not limited to, a force majeure event). In the event President Trump is unable to attend the $TRUMP Gala Dinner, or if the $TRUMP Gala Dinner does take place, then in our sole discretion, the $TRUMP Gala Dinner may be rescheduled to another date, or $TRUMP Meme holders who are qualified for the Gala Dinner and/or reception will receive a limited edition TRUMP NFT in lieu thereof.”
The offer of access to the president for those who invest in an organization that funds Trump’s personal fortune has sparked bipartisan scrutiny and criticism, NBC News reports. “This is my president that we’re talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause,” said Senator Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, who has been spearheading a legislative push on cryptocurrency regulation in the Senate.
A staunch ally of the president, Lummis said on Wednesday that she thinks Congress needs to regulate standards around the use of digital assets like meme coins. “This is the Wild West, and so when I hear things like this, my reaction is, we need to legislate so there are rules,” she told NBC News.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, who often bucks her party, expressed uneasiness about the event, though she noted she didn’t have all of the details. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to charge people to come into the Capitol and take a tour,” Murkowski told NBC News on Thursday. “[Trump’s] got to remember that he’s living [at the White House], but it’s the people’s house, right?”
‘I did my duty that day’: Mike Pence receives JFK Profile in Courage Award for his actions on January 6
Donald Trump’s former vice-president Mike Pence received a John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Sunday for his actions on January 6, when he defied Trump’s demands to overturn the 2020 election. After rightwing extremists stormed the US Capitol, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence”, the former vice-president remained in the Capitol and later oversaw the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
“Vice-President Pence put his life, career and that of his family on the line to execute his constitutional responsibilities. His actions preserved the fundamental democratic principle of free and fair elections and we are proud to honor him,” former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, John F Kennedy’s daughter, said in presenting Pence with the award.
She added that “political courage is not outdated in the United States”.
In accepting the annual award, Pence, 65, said it was a “distinction that I will cherish for the rest of my life”. Pointing to his actions on 6 January 2021, he said to a standing ovation:
I will always believe by God’s grace that I did my duty that day.
Pence went on:
January 6 was a tragic day. But it became a triumph of freedom. And history will record that our institutions held.
Speaking after the ceremony of public response to his actions, he told Fox News Digital: “It convinces me that the American people know that what ever differences we may have, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand.”
Trump says he will call CEOs when he disagrees with their business decisions following call to Jeff Bezos
Donald Trump on Friday reflected on his phone call earlier in the week with Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos, telling NBC News that he would use the same tactic with other CEOs if necessary.
Trump called Bezos after it was reported that Amazon would list the cost of tariffs on certain purchases for consumers. The White House had earlier called the reported move a “hostile and political act”.
In an interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said of Bezos:
He’s just a very nice guy. We have a relationship. I asked him about [the tariff charge language Amazon considered including in listings]. He said, ‘Well, I don’t want to do that,’ and he took it off immediately.
Trump and Bezos have developed a cozier relationship in recent months, with Amazon donating $1m to Trump’s inauguration fund and Bezos attending his swearing in ceremony. In the days before the presidential election, the Washington Post, owned by Bezos, did not endorse a candidate for the first time in over three decades, and in February went a step further in overhauling the newspaper’s opinion section to focus its output “in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets”.
Following the call, Tim Doyle, Amazon spokesperson, said: “The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen.”
Asked whether he would use the same tactic with CEOs of other major retailers, Trump told NBC News:
Sure. I’ll always call people if I disagree with them.
If I think that somebody’s doing something that’s incorrect, wrong or maybe hurtful to the country, I’ll call. Wouldn’t you want me to call? [former president Joe] Biden wouldn’t call because he didn’t know what was happening, but I do.
Trump visit offers ‘window of opportunity’ for hostage deal, says Israeli official, as Israel unveils plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza
A senior Israeli defence official said on Monday there was a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza during Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week.
However, Reuters reports, if no deal is agreed Israel would begin its new operation in the enclave.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” the official said, following a decision by the security cabinet to approve an expanded operation.
It comes as Israel’s security cabinet voted unanimously on Monday to approve a plan to expand its military operations in Gaza in the coming weeks, with the aim of “conquering” the territory and establishing a “sustained presence” there.
The plan is part of Israel’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire on Israel’s terms and increase pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages. Israeli officials said the plan also includes the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, “continues to promote” Trump’s proposal from January to displace the millions of Palestinians living in Gaza to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt, to allow its reconstruction, the officials also said.
Trump’s scheduled visit later this month to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE may provide an additional incentive to the Israeli government to conclude a new ceasefire deal and allow aid into Gaza. Trump, who recently said he wanted Netanyahu to be “good to Gaza”, is likely to come under pressure from his hosts to push Israel to make concessions to end the conflict.
Analysis: Trump’s movie tariffs are designed to destroy the international film industry
Andrew Pulver
Donald Trump’s bombshell announcement that “Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands” will be subject to a 100% tariff has certainly caught the attention of Hollywood, as well as the international film industries it seems to be aimed at – principally Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, as well as European countries such as Hungary and Italy that have often acted as bases for US film production.
Vague and grandstanding at it is, the chaotic rollout of previous Trump tariffs has triggered feverish speculation, as well as defiance, in the film industry in exactly how this might play out.
Trump’s target does not appear to be foreign films per se, but rather the outsourcing of production by Hollywood studios who for decades have used overseas studios and locations to lower costs as well as take advantage of interesting or unusual backdrops. While North America (comprising the US and Canada) remains the biggest single market, with around $8.8bn (£6.6bn) in box office takings in 2024, it is dwarfed by international income of about $21.1bn. It is capturing a significant proportion of this that has geared Hollywood to its internationalist thinking.
But Trump appears to be taking aim at the system of tax subsidies that allow Hollywood producers to accrue large sums if they shoot at studios in qualifying countries. This partly explains the decline in film production in LA – nearly 40% in the last decade, according to FilmLA – but the California film industry has also been under attack from other production centres in the US, where states such as New York and Georgia offer tax incentives.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a regular target of Trump, recently announced a $750m scheme to try to reverse the industry decline in his state, and Trump’s announcement was in some ways clearly a shot across his bows after Newsom filed a lawsuit in April against Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to impose tariffs in other industries.
But whether, as Newsom suggests, this is all a “distraction”, or if this announcement turns into something more solid, a shocked film industry is waiting to find out.
Jason Burke
Israel is to expand its military operations in Gaza in the coming weeks, with the aim of “conquering” the territory and establishing a “sustained presence” there, Israeli officials have said.
The plan, which was unanimously approved at a security cabinet meeting late on Sunday, goes beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory and is likely to prompt deep international concern and fierce opposition.
Officials told reporters in Israel that the plan would involve a new and intense offensive leading to “the conquest of Gaza and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection [and] … powerful blows against Hamas”.
You can follow the latest news on our dedicated live blog here:
Trump meets ex-Proud Boys leader he pardoned at Mar-a-Lago
Former Proud boys boss Enrique Tarrio was at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, according to reports, where he had a brief conversation with Donald Trump.
The New York Times reported that Tarrio thanked Trump for pardoning him for his role in planning the January 6 riot.
Tarrio wrote on X: “He called me and my Mother over while we were at dinner and said he was sorry for what @JoeBiden did to all J6ers. “I thanked him for giving me my life back. He replied with…I Love You guys. To the J6ers he wanted me to send y’all a message…He said…Thank you.”
A White House official later confirmed Trump had a conversation with Tarrio at Mar-a-Lago as the president was walking to his dinner table.
Here’s more reaction to Trump’s film tariffs from Australia:
The Australian government says it will stand up for the country’s film industry, in response to Donald Trump’s 100% tariffs on film productions made outside the US.
Australia is such a popular location for foreign film productions, it is sometimes dubbed “Hollywood Down Under” with recent large-scale productions including The Fall Guy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Thor: Ragnarok.
The government’s location offset scheme offers a 30% rebate for big-budget film projects shot in Australia, with additional post-production rebates, and state governments offering further sweeteners.
But the imposition of tariffs could mean these incentives are no longer attractive enough for productions aimed at the massive US market.
Trump’s move will send shock waves through the industry globally, according to industry peak body Screen Producers Australia (SPA).
“At this stage, it is unclear what this announcement means in practice or how it will be applied and implemented”, said the SPA chief executive, Matthew Deaner.
“There are many unknowns for our industry, but until we know more, there’s no doubt it will send shock waves worldwide.”
The arts minster, Tony Burke, said he was monitoring the situation closely.
“Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry,” Burke said in a statement.
Nina Lakhani
The Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to disaster management will cost American lives, with hollowed-out agencies unable to accurately predict, prepare for or respond to extreme weather events, earthquakes and pandemics, a leading expert has warned.
Samantha Montano, professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and author of Disasterology: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, said the death toll from disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and water pollution will rise in the US unless Trump backtracks on mass layoffs and funding cuts to key agencies. That includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), whose work relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), which is also being dismantled.
“The overall risk of threats and hazards occurring in the US has increased since this administration took over, while the capacity of our emergency management system is being diminished,” said Montano in an interview.
Trump film tariff plan ‘not in the interests of American businesses’, UK lawmaker warns
There has been more reaction to Trump’s plan for 100% tariffs on films made in “foreign lands”, with a UK lawmaker warning it “is not in the interests of American businesses”.
Dame Caroline Dinenage is a member of the right-leaning Conservative opposition party who chairs the UK parliament’s culture committee. She said members of the committee had warned “against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe” in their report on British film and high-end TV, published last month.
She added:
President Trump’s announcement has made that warning all too real. Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on US-owned IP (intellectual property), is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic. Ministers must urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently under way.
Our video team have produced this clip with Donald Trump speaking about his film tariff plan, accusing other countries of “stealing” the US’s film-making capabilities and attacking the California governor (Gavin Newsom, although he doesn’t name him when speaking to reporters outside the White House).
Meanwhile, Germany has said it “strongly rejects” criticism by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of its domestic spy agency’s decision to label the far-right AfD party as an extremist group.
“I reiterate that the insinuations contained (in his comments) are certainly unfounded,” foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said.
Rubio had slammed Friday’s move against the AfD, which came second in February elections, as “tyranny in disguise” and Vice President JD Vance also spoke out against it.
On Sunday, the German foreign ministry had posted on X about the decision to label the AfD as extremist:
This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.”
You can read more here:
In the UK, the PA news wire has more on the response to Trump’s film tariffs.
Philippa Childs, head of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (Bectu), said the UK industry is “only just recovering” from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many productions were delayed or cancelled.
She said:
The UK is a world leader in film and TV production, employing thousands of talented workers, and this is a key growth sector in the government’s industrial strategy,” she said.
“These tariffs, coming after Covid and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering and will be really worrying news for tens of thousands of skilled freelancers who make films in the UK.
“The government must move swiftly to defend this vital sector, and support the freelancers who power it, as a matter of essential national economic interest.”
It is not clear how a tariff on international productions could be implemented. Many films are shot across numerous countries, including the US and UK.
Last year, the UK government introduced the Independent Film Tax Credit, which allows productions costing up to £15m to benefit from an increased tax relief of 53%.
In announcing his plan for 100% tariffs on movies made in “foreign lands”, Trump attacked “incentives” offered by other countries, which he said were an attempt to “draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States”.
Trump’s film tariffs to send ‘shockwaves’ through global industry
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of US politics with news that Donald Trump’s plan to impose 100% tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands” will send shock waves through the industry globally, according to industry body Screen Producers Australia (SPA).
“At this stage, it is unclear what this announcement means in practice or how it will be applied and implemented”, said the SPA chief executive, Matthew Deaner.
“There are many unknowns for our industry, but until we know more, there’s no doubt it will send shock waves worldwide.”
In the UK, the Bectu union representing staff working in the screen industry warned it could be a “knock-out blow” for a sector still recovering from Covid and strikes. It called on the UK government to “move swiftly to defend this vital sector … as a matter of essential national economic interest”.
Trump had announced the move on Sunday night, citing what he termed a “national security threat” to the US film industry. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed to have authorised the commerce department and the US trade representative to immediately begin instituting such a tariff. There were no details on the implementation. It was not immediately clear whether the move would target production companies, foreign or American, producing films overseas. He wrote:
“This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
More on this soon. And in other developments:
Trump has said he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on an island off San Francisco that has been closed for more than 60 years. In a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday evening, Trump said America was “plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders”. He said a rebuilt Alcatraz would house “America’s most ruthless and violent” criminals.
Trump has said that he does not know whether he must uphold the US constitution, the nation’s founding legal document. In a NBC News interview, he was asked if people in the US – citizens and non-citizens alike – deserve the due process of law, as the US constitution states. Trump said: “I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”
Trump would not rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland, a fellow Nato member with the US. Since taking office, the US president has repeatedly expressed the idea of US expansion into the strategically important territory, triggering widespread condemnation and unease both on the island itself and in the global diplomatic community.
The heads of embattled US public broadcasters, National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), defended themselves against efforts by the Trump administration to cut off taxpayer funding. PBS’s chief executive, Paula Kerger, told CBS News’s Face the Nation that Republican-led threats to withdraw federal funding from public broadcasters had been around for decades but are “different this time”.
