Hollywood producers hope Trump “leaves the entertainment industry alone”
"When I saw the results come in... I just wanted to put my head down on my desk and weep"
by Daniel Peters · NMEHollywood producers have expressed their hopes that Donald Trump, upon his inauguration as US president in 2025, “leaves the entertainment industry alone”.
Yesterday (November 6), The Hollywood Reporter shared opinions from Hollywood producers following the US presidential election results this week.
One unnamed “indie industry vet” said: “When I saw the results come in, and Trump had won, I just wanted to put my head down on my desk and weep, but in terms of the business, we’ll have to see how much will really change.”
A notable portion of concerns address international relations and trade deals. During Trump’s presidential campaign, his proposed trade policies may create new challenges for US producers seeking to produce or distribute their films internationally – and vice versa.
When it comes to international productions looking to shoot films in the US, Australian producer Jim Robison (Lunar Pictures) talks about the existing complicated processes in getting production incentives. “When we come to America, it’s like coming to Europe where we have to deal with all of the different states to navigate rebates and support, and it’s frankly confusing as hell in the US,” he says.
Above all, he adds, “the most we can realistically hope for is that he just leaves the entertainment industry alone.”
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The Hollywood Reporter highlights that Trump’s promise to raise tariffs to 60 percent on Chinese-made products could spark retaliatory measures from Beijing, which could impact the film industry much more than his first term in 2017.
However, Simone Yang – a producer with Beijing-based company Red Brief – does note that Trump “has always been quite popular in China”, explaining that his past dealings with China displayed his “style of conduct” that won the affection of Chinese social media users, who have since called him “the ‘King of know it all'”.
“In China, there are many individual investors in the stock market, so some people are concerned about the economic impact of Trump’s new policies. The Chinese film industry and the U.S. film business need to increase mutual understanding, but there is still huge commercial potential,” she explains.
Guillermo Blanco, CEO of production and distribution company TheGseven, based in both Los Angeles and Bogotá, Colombia, mentions to The Hollywood Reporter about his fears of “restrictive immigration policies” under a new Trump presidency – and how it “may limit certain collaborations”.
The election results saw an outpouring of disappointment and disbelief across entertainment – among those who have gone public with their post-election thoughts are Billie Eilish, Jack White, Ethel Cain, and late night talk show hosts Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert.
Additionally, fellow talk show host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the results to his Jimmy Kimmel Live! audience while holding back tears: “Let’s be honest, it was a terrible night last night.”