“The View” co-host and Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at President Donald Trump’s Hollywood tariff plan during the show on Tuesday.
“You can’t do that because what that equates to is you’re going to tell me how to write the story I want to write if it happens in Europe. You’re telling me that if my book comes out, and I want to write it, you’re telling me how to write it. You’re telling me you’re going to charge me for it,” Goldberg said.
“The problem has always been, it’s been very expensive to shoot in California. That’s why we shoot in Canada. It has nothing to do with why. But, you know ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ you couldn’t have shot that in Texas. You can’t shoot ‘Gladiator’ without going to Rome. It is part of what we do. Please stop,” she continued.
Trump said Monday that he authorized the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative “to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”
Actor Jon Voight, Trump’s Hollywood Ambassador, and special advisor Steven Paul, submitted a “comprehensive plan” to the president to save the film and television industry.
Voight and Paul met with “dozens of leading film and television organizations (guilds, unions, studios and streamers) about what changes need to be made to increase domestic film production,” according to a statement.
Goldberg criticized the idea further, accusing the Trump administration of “limiting” opportunities.
“The bottom line is, tax incentives. If you want to change, you got to change it in the states. You have to make it available to people to shoot here in the states. Don’t stop us from going over and shooting overseas, because then you’re limiting us,” she said.
“And also, not for nothing, the movies teach people English. We teach people all, who will never get to America, what America is all about. We show them who we are. If you impose a tax like this, you are saying that we’re not good enough and that is not the case. We are the best in the world,” Goldberg added.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., expressed interest in the president’s idea in a social media post.
“California built the film industry — and we’re ready to bring even more jobs home,” Newsom wrote late on Monday in response to Trump’s desire for more domestic film productions. “We’ve proven what strong state incentives can do. Now it’s time for a real federal partnership to Make America Film Again. [POTUS], let’s get it done.”
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