President Donald Trump‘s plan to save the movie industry by imposing a 100% tariff on imports of films that are produced in “foreign lands” has confused and drawn the ire of many, including Jimmy Kimmel.
Kimmel addressed the topic on Live! Monday, saying Trump is “now aiming his wrecking ball at Hollywood.”
He reminded the audience of Trump’s post Sunday on Truth Social: “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
“Sonic – the illegal immigrant hedgehog – is a national security threat and he must be stopped!”, asserted Kimmel.
He continued: “And this wasn’t just another late Sunday night whim for Trump. He said, “I have done some very strong research over the last week. Which means he had brunch with Jon Voight at Mar-A-Lago this weekend.
Kimmel noted he wasn’t joking. Voight on Monday revealed he had met with Trump over the weekend about a proposal to revive film and TV production in Hollywood.
“This is where he reportedly got the tariff, the movies idea – from Angelina Jolie’s 86-year-old father she won’t talk to,” Kimmel said. “What a great idea, he continued. Next year, The White Lotus is gonna be set at a Hampton Inn.”
Trump later on Monday took a more cautious tone after his idea spawned an uproar in Hollywood, saying he would be meeting with entertainment industry representatives to discuss a plan.
“I’m not looking to hurt the industry; I want to help the industry,” Trump told reporters at the White House Monday. “We’re going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they’re happy with it, because we’re all about jobs.”
You can watch Kimmel’s monologue above.
