A Trump Tariff On Free Speech?

 

 

Tariffs are doing far more harm than good to Americans right now. That is not politics. It is a financial fact. But what is worse than having to pay more money for goods that we want or need is the fact that Trump just issued a tariff that threatens the enjoyment of free speech in America.

He delivered a bombshell to Americans and Hollywood by announcing a 100 percent tariff on films made overseas. What this does is as follows:

* Allows the government to influence which movies are made or seen in America
* Forces ticket, and possibly streaming service, price increases
* Could limit the distribution of foreign films in America.
* Might spur retaliatory tariffs in other nations against American films, which could shrink viewership.

How would the government go about assessing tariffs on a product that is not physically shipped through a port? It is creative content. What is next? Websites, newsletters, and magazines get taxed?

Who is going to figure out what percentage of a film is foreign made? Where it was written, filmed, or edited can vary as a percentage as to what was done where and by whom.

Will we do the same with television shows, too? Or a traveling ballet company — or a foreign orchestra? Americans need to have a choice of voice and art — what we choose to view, read, or hear is up to us. And how the arts get crafted and where they are conceived or developed is not the government’s business.

It is bad enough cities compete to give tax credits to inspire studios to film there. These bribes could influence how their city is depicted in the movie or if it is depicted at all.

 

Within 24 hours of announcing his tariff, he then walked it back and made it sound like he is strongly considering it. His on again, off again approach is part stupidity, part negotiation ploy. So, who really knows if there will be a tariff, how much it will be, how long it will last… but even the contemplation and public suggestion of such a tariff is bad news not only for the economy and businesses, it is bad for free speech and what this country stands for.

We need our films and creative arts to remain untouched by the government. Keep the arts and all media tariff-free!

 

 

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Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.25 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum