Trump calls for federal tax incentive to boost Hollywood production
President Trump says Hollywood is a 'total disaster' and is pushing Congress to pass a federal production incentive after meeting with his special ambassador Jon Voight, a proposal welcomed by the Motion Picture Association.
President Trump is urging Congress to pass a federal tax incentive for film and television production, calling Hollywood a «Complete and Total Disaster» after meeting with his special ambassador Jon Voight. The president described the conversation with the actor as «great and very interesting» and said Voight, along with industry leaders, suggested the incentive as a way to bring production work back to the United States.
«He hates what’s happened to it! It is being dissipated in its entirety. It has moved to Canada, and other Countries, with very little work being done anymore in the United States,» Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. «Hollywood is a Complete and Total Disaster! Despite the name, it is getting very little work. There is no incentive to be there, and it is hurting California very badly.»
The president said the amount spent on tax incentives «will be made up tenfold by the money pouring into the Treasury’s coffers.» He added that meetings are being set up with leaders of both parties to craft legislation, describing the effort as one that «should be Bipartisan, especially since so much money is being lost in California, and other largely Blue States.»
«I am going to suggest that Republicans and Democrats get together, and immediately craft Legislation to save the Movie, Television, and Entertainment Business in America. Congress should approve, immediately, a Federal Production Incentive to create Entertainment Jobs in America,» Trump wrote. «It can be done quickly, accurately, efficiently and, importantly, will benefit ALL of America. What we watch on the Silver Screen should be made in what was once the Movie and Motion Picture Capital of the World. Let’s get this done!»
Voight was appointed by Trump in 2025 as one of three Hollywood Special Ambassadors, alongside Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, to promote business in the entertainment industry. Announcing the program shortly before his second inauguration, Trump said the three would serve as special envoys «for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!»
In May 2025, Voight and special advisor Steven Paul submitted a «comprehensive plan» to the president aimed at increasing domestic film production. The proposal included federal tax incentives, changes to several tax codes, co-production treaties with foreign countries, and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners and production companies. It also focused on job training and, in certain limited circumstances, tariffs.
Voight and Paul said they met with «dozens of leading film and television organizations (guilds, unions, studios and streamers)» about what changes were needed. The meeting with Trump took place in person at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida and included SP Media Group and Atlas Comics President Scott Karol.
«This plan is about leveling the playing field so that producing right here in America is not only a competitive option, but the first choice,» Voight said at the time. The White House and its policy advisors were then reviewing the proposal.
Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin welcomed Trump’s latest push for a federal incentive. «For over a century, American studios, casts, and crews have produced the films and series that the world wants to see,» Rivkin said in a statement. «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.»
Rivkin added that the association applauds Trump’s support and looks forward to working with the White House and bipartisan leaders in Congress «to enact a meaningful and effective national incentive into law.» Voight’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
