Trump calls Hollywood a 'total disaster,' pushes federal tax incentive for film after meeting with Jon Voight

President Trump Announces “Special Ambassador” Initiative for Hollywood, Proposes Tax Incentives

Washington, D.C. — In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, former President Donald Trump announced that he had appointed veteran actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone as “Special Ambassadors” for Hollywood. Trump said the trio would serve as the President’s eyes and ears on the film and television industry and would help design a federal package of tax incentives aimed at returning production jobs to the United States.

A Meeting at Mar‑a‑Lago

Trump said that he had recently met with Voight at his Mar‑a‑Lago residence in Florida. The president described the discussion as a “great and very interesting meeting” and praised Voight as “a fantastic man” who “loves our country” and is “strongly committed to the motion picture and television industry.” Voight, who has worked on dozens of films, had been meeting with industry groups since May 2025 to develop a plan to restore U.S. production.

The meeting reportedly included a broad group of industry stakeholders—including guilds, unions, studios and streaming platforms—along with Steven Paul, a special advisor to Voight, and Scott Karol, president of SP Media Group/Atlas Comics. The discussion focused on a “comprehensive plan” that would create federal tax incentives, adjust parts of the tax code, forge co‑production treaties with other countries, and provide infrastructure subsidies for theater owners and production facilities. The proposal also calls for job‑training programs and, in certain circumstances, the use of tariffs to level the playing field for domestic production.

Trump’s Rationale

Trump’s posts painted Hollywood as a “complete and total disaster” that has lost “very little work” to other countries. He said the industry’s decline is hurting California and other “largely blue” states. Trump added that a federal incentive package would “make our movie and television production business great again—perhaps greater than ever before.” He wrote that the tax incentives “will be made up tenfold by the money pouring into the Treasury’s coffers” and urged bipartisan legislators to approve the legislation quickly.

“It should be bipartisan, especially since so much money is being lost in California and other largely Blue States,” Trump wrote. “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.”

Industry Reaction

Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), welcomed the proposal. In a statement released to the press, Rivkin said, “For over a century, American studios, casts, and crews have produced the films and series that the world wants to see. 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.” He added that the MPA was ready to work with the White House and bipartisan leaders to enact a “meaningful and effective national incentive into law.”

The White House has been reviewing the proposal. A spokesperson, Kush Desai, told Fox News Digital that “President Trump regularly corresponds with his Hollywood ambassadors, including Jon Voight, to restore America’s cultural dominance, and it was President Trump himself who formulated the idea of using tariffs to make Hollywood great again.”

Background

The initiative was unveiled just days before the inauguration of Trump’s second term. Trump’s announcement described the three actors as “special envoys” tasked with bringing Hollywood “back—bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.” He cited a “comprehensive plan” that the actors, along with advisors, had submitted in May 2025, which aimed to address the shift of film production to foreign locations over the past four years.

The plan, according to the actors’ team, involves a mix of federal tax breaks and incentives that would “make domestic production not only competitive but the first choice.” The proposal also seeks to strengthen the industry’s infrastructure by providing subsidies for theaters and post‑production companies, as well as establishing training programs to build a skilled workforce.

Next Steps

Trump said meetings are being scheduled with leaders from both parties to move the legislation forward. No comments have yet come from Voight’s representatives in response to the request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The initiative will likely prompt a debate in Congress about the scope and design of film‑industry tax incentives, a topic that has long divided lawmakers. Proponents argue that incentives can revive jobs and keep American stories in U.S. studios, while critics contend that the federal government should not subsidize a private industry that already benefits from existing tax advantages and a strong global reputation.

For now, the White House remains in the review phase, and the actors and industry leaders are waiting to see how their proposal will be translated into policy. The coming months may bring a renewed federal focus on Hollywood, with implications for the U.S. entertainment industry, California’s economy, and the broader debate over government support for cultural industries.