Will Donald Trump, villain to celebs, make Hollywood great again?

No industry loathes President Donald Trump quite like Hollywood. Will the industry’s titans thank the GOP leader if he saves La La Land from itself?

The commander in chief met with Spencer Pratt this week, with the duo brainstorming ways to bring film and TV production back to Los Angeles. Pratt used his Instagram account to share the big picture: They discussed a 25% federal film tax credit for Hollywood-based productions.

The goal, the former reality star said, was to “repatriate the most quintessential American industry.”

“…(W)e will not let Canada, or the UK or Budapest steal our lunch anymore,” Pratt added. The message sounded similar to one President-Elect Trump shared just days before his second inauguration.

In January 2025, Trump announced a starry group, featuring Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone, that would explore ways to revitalize Hollywood.

“It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”

Trump 2.0 seemed determined to save an industry out for his political blood. Does that sound like a man holding a grudge against show business? 

You couldn’t blame him if he did. The number of celebrities who wished death or fantasized about his violent demise during the leader’s first term proved shockingly long, including Johnny Depp, Madonna, Kathy Griffin and Snoop Dogg.

“Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House,” the Material Girl said during a Women’s March early in Trump 1.0.

And let’s not start on what late-night TV does to President Trump on a weekly basis.

The proposed 25% number would be a massive win for Hollywood, adding to the existing, suddenly beefed-up state incentives deployed by LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The alarming loss of Hollywood jobs became a key issue in the recent mayoral campaign, with Pratt pushing hard for measures to reverse the trend.

Both Bass and Nithya Raman, who emerged as the top vote getters in June in the race for mayor, responded with their own plans.

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The city has been hemorrhaging productions in recent years, thanks to a toxic combination of high crime, higher gas prices, permits gone wild and excessive union demands.

The icing on the stale cake? Other cities began offering juicier tax incentives, chasing productions across the US and parts of Canada. New film and TV studios are sprouting up in other parts of the country, including Nevada, Tennessee and Texas, sensing LA’s decline.

Hollywood’s legendary status as the hub of the production pipeline was suddenly in doubt.

That never sat well with President Trump, a leader with sizable ties to the entertainment game. The “Apprentice” alum pushes an extreme “America First” attitude, one that encompasses the Hollywood dream factory.

Still, some of that support felt superficial at times. The trio of major stars tapped to revive Hollywood either worked in private or got little real-world traction. Gibson said at the time he wasn’t even aware of the initiative until he saw it on the news.

The president has also been busy with the current Iran war and battles to drag the SAVE Act across the finish line.

Any federal film incentives could have genuine bipartisan support. Sen. Adam Schiff is on record pushing for something similar for Hollywood. The measure might meet some stiff GOP resistance, but President Trump could likely strong arm a few waffling Republicans to back his initiative.

The timing for all parties couldn’t be better.

The US box office is booming in 2026, a stark departure from recent years. Films like “The Odyssey,” “Obsession,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Project Hail Mary” have brought audiences back to theaters in droves.

The industry will still loathe him, but President Trump may actually make Hollywood great again. Or, at the very least, slow its decline as LA’s other intractable problems remain.

Christian Toto is the editor of HollywoodInToto.com and host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast