US President Donald Trump has sparked widespread discussion in the global film industry following his announcement of plans to implement a 100 percent tariff on films made outside the United States. The declaration, shared through posts on his social media platform Truth Social, has elicited strong responses from filmmakers worldwide, including prominent Indian director Kabir Khan.

Trump contended that international film production has damaged America’s cinema industry, stating, “California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit! Therefore, in order to solve this long-time, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100 per cent Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.” He additionally asserted that foreign countries had “stolen” the moviemaking industry from the U.S., comparing it to “taking candy from a baby.”

In his response to these statements, Kabir Khan expressed skepticism about both the practicality and specificity of the proposal. In conversation with NDTV, he remarked, “I have no idea what he means when he says ‘made outside of the United States’ because every second Hollywood film is shot outside of the USA, the VFX is executed outside of the USA. And tariff on what? The ticket price? His statement is too broad to be understood properly. Firstly, let’s see if he remembers this tomorrow when he wakes up.”

The director’s remarks underscore broader industry concerns regarding the implementation of such a policy, particularly considering Hollywood’s substantial dependence on international filming locations, post-production facilities, and global talent networks.