Director Spike Lee is the latest woke Hollywood celebrity to take aim at President Donald Trump’s suggestion of a 100 percent U.S. tariff on foreign film imports at Cannes this season’s festival.
During a panel this week, the Highest 2 Lowest director was asked what he thought about the ill effects of social media on society. But Lee used that question to pivot to an attack on Trump.
“I don’t know how much we can talk about American values considering who is the president,” he exclaimed, according to Variety.
“My wife said, ‘Spike, be very careful what you say!’ But here’s the thing, I don’t think we can condemn social media. People say the same thing about film or whatever. So, I’m not going to demonize the form,” he added.
Spike Lee on Donald Trump's plan to put a tariff on movies shot outside the U.S.: "The guy just said he wanted to put a tariff on every film that shot... I don’t know how that’s going to work. I don’t have the answer for that, but I love to shoot." https://t.co/EkomLqCvtT pic.twitter.com/DN4OJPlwZT
— Variety (@Variety) May 20, 2025
He also addressed the tariff issue a few moments later and noted that people are “hurting.”
“No one’s working,” Lee explained. “The guy just said he wanted to put a tariff on every film that shot… I don’t know how that’s going to word.”
“People are hurting,” Lee continued, “no one’s working. There’s this guy [Trump] who wants to put a tariff on every film that shoots [outside the U.S.]. I don’t know how that’s going to work. I don’t have the answer, but I love to shoot [in New York]… There’s just some things you can replicate. It’s the vibe, it’s an energy. I’m very lucky that I’ve been able to shoot films that place in New York.”
Lee is not the first one to argue against President Trump’s tariff suggestion. On Monday, director Wes Anderson also ridiculed Trump’s tariff idea and joked that there was no way to “hold a film in customs.”
Scott Jones, the head of Artist View Entertainment, also chimed in, saying, “I don’t see any benefit to what he is trying to do. If anything, it could really hurt us.”
Louise Lantagne, head of Canadian film industry booster Quebecreatif, added, “Of course it is going to be hell if (tariffs) happen. For the moment it is just a tweet — even if everyone is really stressed by these declarations.”
Also, Nouvelle Vague director Richard Linklater also criticized Trump’s tariff idea, and said Trump wasn’t even serious. “That’s not gonna happen. That guy changes his mind 50 times. Film is our No. 1 U.S. export,” Linklater said.
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