Preventing Hollywood's 'very fast death' could become Trump's 9th national emergency

President Trump offered an unexpected twist in his trade wars Sunday evening by floating a 100% tariff on foreign movies, but he did it in a familiar way by hinting that a national emergency declaration could be in the offing to achieve his ends. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat," he posted on Truth Social. He later added to reporters that part of his issue is other countries offering incentives for movie production, "so that's sort of a threat to our country in a sense." Trump has used similar language before other formal declarations. His focus on emergency action is a strategy that his team has closely studied for years to help him move quickly and bypass Congress. It is also still possible that the Hollywood action does not become an emergency. Trump has discussed emergencies but declined to follow through in some cases. If he does in fact do so with Hollywood, it would follow eight formal national emergencies that Trump has already declared since taking office, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Those proclamations span a wide array of issues from energy to the border to, most notably, his "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs. President Donald Trump as he returns to the White House after spending the weekend in Florida on May 4. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) · SAUL LOEB via Getty Images Trump also uses emergency language relentlessly, even if it's not backed up by formal action. He posted in January about redirecting water in California "under Emergency Powers" in claims that were refuted by California's government. Details remain scarce about what he intends to do with movies. The White House declined to offer any formal plans in the hours after his pronouncement beyond Trump's message that he was authorizing the Department of Commerce and his trade representative to "begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands." It's unclear if any order would apply to television as well or what exactly constitutes a movie being produced overseas. The move was nevertheless quickly felt, with shares in companies like Netflix (NFLX), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and Walt Disney (DIS) all lower in early trading Monday. Trump's focus on Hollywood is also a factor in two contentious personal relationships that have been front and center in recent weeks. Canada is a key destination for Hollywood film and television productions (with the nation indeed offering generous incentives), and Trump’s post comes as the president is set to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House on Tuesday.