Jon Voight Meets with Trump to Discuss Hollywood’s Future

Jon Voight is really stepping into his role as Hollywood’s unique ambassador. Over the weekend, he sat down with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, just before the president announced hefty tariffs on international filming.

Voight mentioned, “It’s coming to us where we really need help, and thank God the president is concerned about Hollywood and film.” He expressed that Trump has a fondness for the industry and believes there’s a need for active involvement, saying, “You can’t let it decline like Detroit.”

After taking office, Trump, along with Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, named Voight as a special ambassador for Hollywood, describing it as a “great but extremely troublesome place.” Voight shared that their aim is to reverse the losses Hollywood has faced overseas, and he feels optimistic about the potential for it to return to its golden age.

Voight aims to “reclaim dignity and work for people,” although he didn’t delve into specific strategies. He did note, “We have to do something, and it’s about time.” While some industry voices have pushed back against the tariff plans, Voight claims to have received supportive reactions from others.

Voight added, “We got a lot of good responses from people. We’re really putting in the effort.” His team is diligently working on plans, leveraging insights from union producers on the challenges at hand. The issue of studios using economic incentives to film abroad was also a point of focus.

“Every studio has smart people,” he pointed out. “They’ve used various tools to attract filming overseas, but now we’re insisting that we need to keep it here.” Voight believes they deserve a fair chance and acknowledges that more effort is needed to compete effectively.

He and Trump feel there’s unfair treatment from the industry towards them, but Voight shrugged off the negativity, stating, “Who cares?” He emphasized the importance of collaboration, saying, “The focus is not on politics, and that’s refreshing.” Voight believes that regardless of differing political beliefs, there’s a path forward for Hollywood if people unite for common goals.