Make Hollywood Great Again: Trump’s New Plan

The first few weeks of Trump's second term as president has been surrounded with controversial decisions. One of these has been the appointment of three ‘Hollywood ambassadors’ with the title of ‘ambassador’ generally used to refer to those in charge of responding to troubled hot spots such as the Middle East. Trump stated that Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone were selected for the purpose of “of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, back”, adding that they would make it “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

Surprisingly, Gibson claims that he had no knowledge of his new role prior to Trump’s announcement to the general public. He had, however, previously endorsed Trump in a video before the election, and been very vocal in his criticism of Harris, so it seems like he would have no issue doing this job. Voight and Stallone have also publicly supported Trump, with Stallone introducing Trump in a post-election victory speech, and Voight calling him the best president since Abraham Lincoln.

The American entertainment industry has benefited Trump in the past, with his role on ‘The Apprentice’ supporting his career by boosting his reputation and fame as a businessman. His cameo in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost In New York’ also cannot be forgotten.

However, with his rise in politics, his relationship with the film industry has turned rocky. In 2020 he criticised the Academy Awards for choosing the South Korean film ‘Parasite’ as Best Picture, suggesting it didn’t deserve the award. He has also called Hollywood “very dangerous” suggesting it was producing content that promoted violence.

His opinions surrounding social justice and climate change, amongst other issues, have drawn criticism from major Hollywood celebrities such as Robert DeNiro who called him, “a jerk, an idiot,” adding, “who wants to meet a clown like that?” He has also been called “a reckless moron” by Chris Evans, and Cher has publicly said she wishes he would “fall off the face of the earth.”

Hollywood has suffered in the past few years with the Covid-19 pandemic halting filming, the actor and writer strikes in 2023, and most recently the California wildfires. The rise of streaming services has also played a role in this decline. According to FilmLA, productions were down 5.6% from 2023 in the Los Angeles area, and at the lowest they have been since 2020.

Trump may think that by appointing three major Hollywood voices, he will be able to gain some control back over the industry, but it is easy to doubt the potential success of this operation. Three actors are unlikely to be able to change the course of the movie industry, or sway it to Trump’s side.