Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, made another version of the argument at the White House last week, positing that dolls from China might have lead paint while dolls made in the U.S. would have higher environmental and regulatory standards. He predicted that most consumers would agree.

He attributed this to filmmaking incentives provided by other countries and described it as “a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.” Hollywood immediately panned the idea and portrayed it as an existential threat to the U.

Trump said his administration would "immediately' begin 'implementing' a tariff on foreign films, but the White House said a decision isn't final.