Taxing Tinseltown

Hollywood's Tariff Nonsense

Donald Trump’s proposed tariff on Hollywood is a baffling misstep, both economically and constitutionally. Hollywood’s output—movies, shows, and cultural influence—isn’t a tangible product easily subjected to tariffs, rendering the idea qualitatively incoherent. Quantitatively, Trump’s arbitrary 100% tariff figure lacks any grounding in data or reasoned policy, exposing it as a spontaneous utterance rather than a serious proposal. More troubling is his invocation of “national security” to justify such a tariff. The U.S. dominates global film production, making the notion of Hollywood as a security threat laughable. This flimsy rationale abuses the limited national security powers Congress has delegated to the president, powers Trump has repeatedly stretched to impose tariffs on everything from steel to cultural exports. Such overreach not only undermines the rule of law but also sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations—Democrat or Republican—to wield unchecked executive power.

Worse, Congress has enabled this constitutional erosion. When Senator Rand Paul proposed stripping the president’s ability to use national security as a catch-all for tariffs, 49 of 53 Senate Republicans voted to preserve Trump’s authority, effectively endorsing executive overreach. This vote, now on record, implicates them in weakening Congress’s constitutional power over tariffs and trade. This is a betrayal of limited government principles, sacrificing individual liberty and market freedom to political expediency. The courts may eventually strike down Trump’s national security claims as illegal, but the damage is done: Congress has handed future presidents a loaded weapon to abuse, proving once again that government, left unchecked, will always encroach on liberty.