One of President Donald Trump’s better qualities flies far under the radar. He doesn’t hold a grudge. That’s especially true when there’s a greater good in play.
Then-candidate Trump sparred aggressively with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly during the 2016 campaign. Late last year, Kelly endorsed Trump, speaking at a MAGA rally days before the Nov. 5 election.
The president once dubbed a presidential rival “Little” Marco Rubio. That politician is currently Trump’s trusted Secretary of State.
Now, Trump wants to make amends with Hollywood, an industry that loathes him with the heat of a thousand suns. This act of forgiveness dwarfs them all, but Trump sees movies as a vital part of the nation’s soft power as well as a critical industry.
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It’s why Hollywood should swallow hard and play nice with President Trump. Or, at the very least, lend him its collective ear.
Trump’s shocking outreach began with, what else, a social media post. He promised 100% tariffs on movies made outside of the U.S.
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,” he added. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
All heck broke loose in La La Land, with entertainment news outlets spinning furiously against the vague proposal.
Call it Trump’s opening volley, part of the president’s knack for starting with big claims and negotiating from there. It’s similar to Trump’s earlier announcement that movie superstars Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight would form a group of “Ambassadors” to revive the flailing film industry.
It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!
Except the news seemed to have caught the trio by surprise and, only recently, did one of the actors, Voight, step forward with concrete plans on making Hollywood great again.
NPR described Voight’s vision as “federal tax incentives, co-production treaties with other countries and subsidies for theater owners and film and TV production companies.”
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The “Midnight Cowboy” star acknowledged the rift between Trump and Hollywood, adding that it shouldn’t distract from the big picture.
“I think he’s been treated unfairly. I think I have too. But what’s the difference? Who cares?” Voight asks. “I mean, there’s been a battle, but now it’s time to put that aside. And I must say, in all of the interactions we’ve had [on addressing runaway production], politics has never come up. Never.”
Hollywood, Inc. would be foolish not to listen.
Yes, the box office came roaring back in recent weeks, courtesy of hits like “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie.” That doesn’t camouflage the sizable issues confronting movie studios, from the death of the modern movie star to escalating film budgets.
Case in point? The upcoming “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” has a $400 million budget, meaning it will have to dramatically out-perform the best films in the series to make a profit.
Hollywood’s problems would make a depressing feature.
Film and TV productions have been fleeing Los Angeles for some time. Streaming platforms have proven to be far less profitable than hoped, with Netflix emerging as the strongest money maker for now.
The DVD/Blu-ray gravy train slowed some time ago, removing a safety net for films that didn’t catch fire at theaters.
Dueling 2023 strikes hurt the industry more than anticipated, and the threat of A.I. to the creative community looms in the not-so-distant future. Social media, YouTube and other distractions now dominate the culture, making young consumers less invested in Hollywood product.
Meanwhile, California Democrats are scrambling to prevent productions from leaving the City of Angels for more receptive states and countries. That’s left countless Calif.-based crew members desperate for work. New York just followed suit.
Hollywood players hate Trump so much some wish they could erase his presence from pop culture of yore. “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” director said just that about Trump’s seconds-long cameo in his 1992 film.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Others have alternately dubbed him Hitler or wished him dead. That sentiment may be hard to overcome.
The perfect storm of problems facing Hollywood may be too much for any presidential plan to solve. Gen Z’s drift away from movie watching can’t be assuaged by new policies. Stars still insist on insulting potential customers, from “Snow White’s” Rachel Zegler to the cast of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The two sides need to put aside their differences for the greater good. A healthy film market impacts more than just studio executives, theater owners and various crew members.
Hollywood movies send a message to the world. Films like “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006) showcase the power of the American capitalist system. Others promote values like individual liberty (2012’s “Still Mine”) and triumphs over adversity (2016’s “Hidden Figures”).
It’s why China invests so heavily in its movie industry. The Communist nation wants to put the nation’s best foot forward on the big screen, removing sequences from foreign films that cast the country in a negative light.
President Trump may not make Hollywood great again. He could help the industry thrive against all odds.
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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at HollywoodInToto.com.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
