In an unusual convergence of events, President Donald Trump met with actor Jon Voight at the White House as flights across the United States were grounded due to a nationwide stop. The focus of this meeting was to advocate for a federal film incentive, a topic of considerable interest to the entertainment industry.
Voight Advocates for Tax Incentives
Voight, accompanied by his team—Steven Paul and Scott Karol—sought to persuade Trump to promote the film incentive during the current lame duck session of Congress. Karol shared insights with Variety, highlighting Trump’s multitasking as he received updates about the halted flights and a rescue operation for a capsized boat in New Orleans. “He’s concerned with different things because he’s the president. He gave us attention while taking care of two emergencies,” Karol said.
Passion in the Meeting
Voight delivered an impassioned speech in favor of a bill that proposes a 20% to 30% rebate on domestic labor costs for films and television productions. According to Paul, “He was telling (Trump) he has a helpful heart and he feels this can get done.” The meeting concluded on an emotional note, with Voight reportedly in tears, delivering what Paul described as an “Academy Award-winning speech.”
Trump’s Support and Calls for Bipartisanship
While Voight was still present, Trump used his Truth Social platform to affirm his commitment to the federal film incentive and urged Congress to act swiftly. “Meetings are being set up, routinely, with the Leaders of both Parties in order to, GET THIS DONE!” he wrote. He emphasized the bipartisan nature of the initiative, noting that significant losses in film production jobs are impacting blue states particularly hard. He urged Republicans and Democrats to collaborate and finalize this important legislation.
Responses from Lawmakers
Furthermore, Trump mentioned his collaboration with Senator Adam Schiff, stating, “believe it or not.” Karol recounted that Schiff had previously met with them and encouraged them to communicate to Trump that he supports the bill. Responding to Trump’s post on X, Schiff emphasized the urgency of passing the film incentive and remarked, “President Trump and I agree: it’s time for Congress to pass a federal film incentive.”
Rep. Laura Friedman, one of the bill’s Democratic co-authors, echoed this sentiment, stating, “there’s no excuse to wait.” She underscored the potential job creation the incentive would bring to various states, asserting, “A national film and TV incentive means jobs in California, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, and every state across the country. Let’s get it done.”
Cautious Optimism Amid Challenges
Karol noted the primary challenge remains finding a legislative vehicle to attach the incentive bill to. Despite the recent defeat for Republicans in the midterm elections, he observed that momentum for the bill has not diminished. “There’s good energy on both sides,” he remarked. “There’s no indication from either side of the aisle that this is something that is not as important as it was before the election.”
However, an article published by Politico earlier in the day suggested that the prospects for passing any tax bill during the lame duck session were “pretty low,” according to Rep. Don Beyer.
A Legacy of Advocacy
Supporters are hopeful that Trump’s public endorsement will reinvigorate discussions among lawmakers. Voight has established himself as an ambassador for Hollywood, consistently meeting with Trump to advocate for the tax credit. His efforts bore fruit in August when Trump first endorsed the measure, which subsequently led to the bill’s bipartisan introduction in September.
Flight Halt and Broader Context
Interestingly, Trump’s comments on the film incentive came just before Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin addressed the public regarding the nationwide flight halt, assuring citizens that “This isn’t another 9/11. This is a telecommunication outage.”
Read Trump’s Truth Social post below:
“I am working with Senator Tim Scott and, believe it or not, Senator Adam Schiff, and, additionally, Senators John Cornyn, Raphael Warnock, Steve Daines, Bernie Moreno, Tim Sheehy, Alex Padilla, Mark Warner, Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, Katie Britt, and Dick Durbin, together with Representatives Jason Smith, Nathaniel Moran, Brian Jack, Linda Sanchez, and many others, both Republican and Democrat, on the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. The support and popularity of doing this, and bringing Entertainment back to the United States of America, has been unbelievable! Hollywood, and so many other places, have been virtually ’emptied out’ by the Tax Incentives, and much more, given by other Countries. Everyone feels strongly about the Motion Picture and Television Industry — and so do I, and we all want to save it. It was MADE IN AMERICA, and must STAY IN AMERICA. The Entertainment Industry has largely moved to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries, but the actors, producers, and all others involved want to come back home! Importantly, hundreds of thousands of Blue Collar Workers will be positively affected, BIG TIME, by the passage of this Bill. The amount of money spent on these Tax Incentives will be made up tenfold by the money pouring into the Treasury’s coffers. Meetings are being set up, routinely, with the Leaders of both Parties in order to, GET THIS DONE! It is a very Bipartisan undertaking, especially in that so much of the money being lost to other countries is coming out of the Blue States. Hopefully Republicans and Democrats will get together and finalize this already very actively negotiated Legislation. It can be done quickly, accurately, efficiently and, importantly, will benefit all of America. MAKE OUR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Updated with remarks from Karol and Paul.
