The first few months of his second term have been tumultuous for Donald Trump and The Walt Disney Company. After settling a lawsuit with Disney and ABC News before his inauguration, Trump’s FCC opened an investigation into Disney’s DEI practices, and the Department of Justice opened an antitrust lawsuit against Disney’s acquisition of FuboTV.
Trump’s policies have also impacted Disney’s parks. Trump’s tariffs have increased operating costs and merchandise, while other policies have prevented international visitors from visiting the Walt Disney World Resort.
However, even after all that, Disney is still willing to find common ground and work with the President. Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston told CNBC that Disney would be “happy” to work with the President on “things that make sense.”
Johnston said:
What I was actually most encouraged by was the President talked about the fact that he wants to help the industry and he wants to make the industry stronger. We certainly are more than happy to help in terms of designing things that would make sense to make the industry stronger, and we look forward to doing that.
Johnston referred to the plan Trump announced on Sunday to institute a 100 percent tariff on any film or television show outside the United States. The next day, the White House walked back some of Trump’s statements, saying that nothing had been finalized yet.
This would be especially impactful for The Walt Disney Company, which has moved much of its film production overseas. Films like Snow White (2025) and The Marvels (2024), which were box office bombs, received huge tax credits from the British government to help offset Disney’s losses. Snow White, which could lose as much as $150 million, received $57 million in tax rebates from the United Kingdom to help lessen Disney’s burden.
Trump’s plan appears to be the brainchild of actor and Trump supporter Jon Voight. The original plan called for a 120 percent tariff on any film or television show made outside the United States.
However, beyond the tariff percentage, other details remain scarce. There was no indication of how this would impact films and television shows currently in production overseas or if there would be an exception for shows that needed a specific location to shoot.
What is clear is that Disney and the President may have finally found some common ground on bringing filming back to America. Maybe there will be more common ground in the future.
What do you think of Trump’s plan to bring filming back to America? Let us know in the comments.
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