SAG-AFTRA’s Chief Negotiator Is Open to White House Efforts to Boost Movie Production In U.S.

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The head of negotiations for SAG-AFTRA, their national executive director, has expressed a receptive stance regarding President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose taxes on movies made outside the United States.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, head of a union comprising 160,000 performers, declared on Monday that SAG-AFTRA backs initiatives to boost film, television, and online content production within the United States. He emphasized that the union will keep pushing for policies that enhance our competitive edge, stimulate economic development, and generate quality middle-class jobs for American workers.

The union’s head stated that they are eager to understand the details of the proposal and hope to engage in discussions aimed at reaching shared objectives.

Crabtree-Ireland was the earliest labor leader in Hollywood to publicly comment on Trump’s suggestion, which he made in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. In this post, Trump proposed a 100% tax on films produced outside of our country. However, Trump did not bring up television shows or digital media projects in his post.

Later, the White House softened their initial statement about the tariff proposal, with a White House representative informing The Hollywood Reporter that “no definitive decisions” have been reached on this matter yet.

Key figures within the Hollywood industry, even some from labor unions, have experienced shock after President Trump’s announcement on Sunday. Several unions had been actively exploring legislation to establish a federal tax break for domestic film projects, with their primary focus being this initiative, when suddenly Trump’s tariff-related message arrived.

More to come.

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2025-05-05 21:54