President Donald Trump has thrown yet another hand grenade into the economy, this time in the form of an evening post to Truth Social about imposing a 100% tariff on movies produced overseas. It seems strange to proclaim that “the Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death” and suggest a so-called defense that sparks a 3-5% dip in stock price for Netflix, Warner Bros., Disney, and Paramount.

While stocks normalized, the entertainment industry is still trying to figure everything out, especially as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated he’s working on a policy. This tariff business is getting way out of hand.

It’s unclear what provoked Trump’s proclamation about the necessity of saving Hollywood from financial ruin, but it was this administration’s slapdash nationalism on full display. Trump framed the foreign tax incentives meant to draw American film productions as a “national security threat,” conflating two separate matters conservatives have long wanted to address in Hollywood.

The first is China’s role in steering the messages, imagery, and market considerations of U.S. film productions. The Chinese Communist Party exerts storied amounts of influence through investment firms such as Alibaba Pictures and Wanda Group, financing U.S. film........

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