Hollywood’s New Ambassadors: Can Trump’s Trio Cut Costs and Revive the Industry?

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Issue Areas

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Several weeks ago, President Donald J. Trump released a post on Truth Social naming Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight as Special Ambassadors to Hollywood. President Trump’s goal is for these ambassadors to suggest improvements that will help him and his administration “[bring] Hollywood, which lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

While it is unclear from the post what President Trump means by lost business, some speculate that he is referring to the runaway production problem—major movies are being shot in other countries like Britain, Hungary, Australia, and Canada, where there are lower costs and often generous tax incentives.

But what if this Hollywood trio could do more than identify potential business opportunities? What if they could aid the Trump Administration in cost-cutting?

The federal government spends billions of dollars of its discretionary spending budget each year on entertainment, cultural programs, and the arts. This poses several problems.

First, much of this money goes towards promoting left-wing ideologies. For instance, in 2023, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) spent more than $100 million in federal funding on grant programs for fashion designers, creative writing fellowships, and research studies to increase equity and inclusion in the arts. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) uses federal dollars to run a Media Projects program that offers awards for filmmakers ranging from $700,000 to $1,000,000. NEH places a special emphasis on supporting those projects that reflect “our diverse heritage, traditions, and history.”

However, not all federal funding goes toward promoting left-wing causes. According to one auditing company, between 2008 and 2021, the Department of Defense spent $721 million taxpayer dollars on video production and distribution. NASA spent $124 million. And the Department of the Interior spent $75 million. The problem is the film industry charges exorbitant rates for these government contracts. This same auditing company notes that in some instances, senior executive producers working on government-contracted films make $756.17 per hour, junior executive producers make $347.46 per hour, and consultants to the films make $191.44 per hour.

It is clear that federal funding for the entertainment industry needs some changes. But what should this change look like?

Ideally, the Trump Administration would cut federal funding to these programs. Back in November, Elon Musk expressed interest in using the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal funding for cultural programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other “progressive groups.” Gibson, Stallone, and Voight, who are on the ground in Hollywood, are in an ideal position to aid Musk’s DOGE team and the entire Trump Administration in identifying which programs can and should be cut. But even if the government cannot cut a substantial portion of the federal funding going towards entertainment and the arts, these Special Ambassadors could help divert these federal funds toward something better. As individuals immersed in the arts and entertainment industries, they are well positioned to identify parallel organizations and opportunities that would use federal funds more cost-effectively, and that would better align with American values.