Trump orders 100 per cent tariff on Aussie films, calls for Alcatraz to be reopened
Films produced in Australia will be clobbered with a 100 per cent import tariff by the US in an extraordinary move by Donald Trump. Follow updates.
Films produced in Australia will be clobbered with a 100 per cent import tariff by the United States in an extraordinary move by Donald Trump to lure moviemaking back to America.
The President announced all films made outside the US would be hit with the tariff, describing the incentives by other countries to lure the movie business to their shores as a national security threat.
“The movie industry in America is dying a very fast death,” Mr Trump wrote.
“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 USA, 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.”
The President said he had authorised his commerce department and trade representative to immediately move to institute a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced in other countries.
“We want movies made in America again,” he said.
The move will be a significant blow to Australia’s $2 billion a year film industry.
Recent Hollywood films made in Australia include Anyone But You starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell and Ticket to Paradise starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
In January, Mr Trump announced he had appointed Hollywood superstars Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson and Jon Voight as special ambassadors with a goal of bringing back film business lost to foreign countries.
“They will serve as special envoys to me 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,” he wrote at the time.
“These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest.
“It will again be, like The United States of America itself, the Golden Age of Hollywood.”
The announcement comes a fortnight after the US President paused his sweeping reciprocal tariffs to negotiate individual trade deals with each country.
Australia is currently subject to a 10 per cent tariff on all goods exported to the US and a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium exports.
Last month, China restricted imports of Hollywood movies in retaliation to punishing tariffs imposed by the US.
Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner said it was unclear what the announcement would mean for the industry.
“There are many unknowns for our industry, but until we know more, there’s no doubt it will send shockwaves worldwide,” he said.
“For the Australian industry, it reinforces the need for the government to focus immediately and swiftly on building a resilient local industry that can withstand global shocks like this.
Mr Deaner said the industry was this week due to gather for its yearly three-day conference.
“As we get set for our annual Screen Forever conference, set to start tomorrow, we’re certain today’s announcement will be the catalyst for many, many conversations between local and international industry executives and screen professionals.
“SPA will continue to monitor developments and await the Executive Order, which should provide further information on this.”.
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TRUMP ORDERS REOPENING OF ALCATRAZ
Donald Trump has ordered the reopening of the notorious Alcatraz prison, the former jail on an island off the coast of California that is now a tourist site, to house violent offenders.
In a message on his Truth Social site on Sunday, President Trump said that “for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders”.
The reopening of Alcatraz would serve as a “symbol of law, order, and justice,” he said.
The prison which was closed in 1963, famously lies near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
“Today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ,” Mr Trump wrote.
Mr Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House from Florida, that reopening the prison was “just an idea I’ve had” and decided to act on.
“It’s a symbol of law and order,” he said.
Alcatraz was closed because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, mainly due to its island location.
TRUMP’S STAR WARS POST BACKFIRES
Star Wars fans are mocking Donald Trump’s attempt to celebrate fan-favourite day May the Fourth, after he posted an AI-generated photo of himself.
The image showed Mr Trump looking stoic and buff, with bald eagles in the background.
“Happy May the 4th to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting so hard to … bring Sith Lords, Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, & well known MS-13 Gang Members, back into our Galaxy,” the White House wrote on X.
“You’re not the Rebellion—you’re the Empire. May the 4th be with you.”
The image showed Mr Trump holding a red lightsaber — the mark of the Sith — as he declared himself part of ‘The Rebellion’.
Fans were quick to point out the glaring error and villainous detail on X.
“If Trump carries a red lightsaber, that means he’s part of the Sith and is evil,” Democratic activist Henry Sisson replied. “Fitting!”
“You know that’s the bad guys right,” read another reply.
The image came after Mr Trump earlier caused controversy by posting an AI image of himself dressed as the pope.
‘I DON’T KNOW’: TRUMP’S STUNNING RESPONSE
Donald Trump says he would not rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland, the world’s largest island and an autonomous territory within Denmark.
In an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press, Mr Trump was asked whether he would rule out using force against the territory.
“I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything. No, not there. We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security,” Mr Trump said.
He also revealed that he does not know whether he must uphold the US Constitution, and that he is not seriously considering running for a third White House term, after musing publicly over an idea clearly barred by the nation’s founding legal document.
“I don’t know,” Mr Trump responded when the host of NBC News Meet the Press with Kristen Welker asked directly whether he believes he needs to uphold the supreme law of the land.
Asked specifically whether American citizens and non-citizens alike deserve the due process of law, as the US Constitution states, Mr Trump said: “I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”
‘SACRILEGIOUS’: TRUMP RELEASES IMAGE AS POPE
An AI-generated picture of US President Donald Trump dressed as the pope, shared by official White House social media accounts, has been criticised by some Catholics.
The image, which was jokingly shared on the White House’s X account and the President’s Truth Social, has topped tens of millions of views.
The image shows Mr Trump holding up his index finger as if about to preach ex cathedra — clad in the traditional bright white Catholic vestments with gold lining.
The New York State Catholic Conference accused Mr Trump of mocking the faith. The post comes as Catholics mourn Pope Francis and prepared to choose the next pontiff.
Just days ago, Mr Trump joked to reporters: “I’d like to be Pope.”
“There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr President,” the Empire State Catholic Bishops said in a statement.
“We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St Peter. Do not mock us.”
Former vice president Mike Pence’s speechwriter, Joshua Charles, posted: “Mr President (@realDonaldTrump) — please cease this offensive and sacrilegious behaviour.”
TRUMP STRIPS HARVARD OF TAX PERK
Mr Trump said he is stripping Harvard University of its tax-exempt status.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” he said in a Truth Social post.
The move comes just weeks after the Trump administration froze US$2.2 billion in multiyear federal grants over the elite Ivy League school’s refusal to help stamp out alleged antisemitism and hate on campus.
At the time, Mr Trump had floated the possibility of targeting the prestigious Cambridge, Massachusetts, university’s tax-exempt status if it continued to push “political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” on its students.
“Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” he said.
– with AFP
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Originally published as Trump orders 100 per cent tariff on Aussie films, calls for Alcatraz to be reopened
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