Trump: film tariffs will not affect James Bond
Kyiv • UNN
Donald Trump has said that James Bond films will not be affected by his proposal to impose tariffs on films made abroad. The White House said that no final decisions on tariffs have been made yet.
US President Donald Trump has said that James Bond films will not be affected by his proposal to impose duties on films made abroad, UNN reports, citing Variety.
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The 007 franchise calls England home and is often filmed at the famous Pinewood Studios, as well as in cities around the world. Trump baffled Hollywood this month by saying he had authorized the US trade representative and the country's Department of Commerce to initiate steps to impose a 100% duty on films made abroad.
"As you know, we are imposing duties on films, on filmmakers," Trump said when asked about the tariff plan at a press conference. "And we're going to introduce some duties to take them away, because many of them have left this country. They all live here, the money comes from here, everything comes from here, but they do it in other countries. So we're going to do something to bring them back, maybe in a big way."
"But James Bond has nothing to worry about, I'll tell you that," Trump added. "And you know, Sean Connery was my friend. Sean Connery was responsible for getting me zoning in Aberdeen. He said, "Let that fucking guy build his golf courses." I was in this process for about four years, and it was impossible in Aberdeen... He was a great guy, Sean Connery."
Amid confusion over Trump's initial statement, the White House issued a statement saying that "no final decisions" have been made on imposing duties on films. An administration official added: "The administration is exploring all options for implementing President Trump's directive to protect our country's national and economic security, while making Hollywood great again."
John Voight and his producing partner Stephen Paul said after Trump's statement that they had presented him with a "comprehensive" plan in an attempt to save the entertainment industry. The plan includes federal incentives for production and post-production, co-production agreements with foreign countries, and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners.