President Donald Trump held a meeting with actor Jon Voight at the White House on Friday to discuss a federal film incentive bill. This took place while flights across the United States were suspended due to a rare nationwide ground stop. The visit by Voight and his team, which included Steven Paul and Scott Karol, aimed to urge the president to prioritize the legislation during the lame duck session of Congress.
Scott Karol, who accompanied Voight, described the atmosphere in the Oval Office as dynamic. He noted that the president was receiving updates on the flight situation as well as a capsized boat incident in New Orleans. Karol stated that the president gave the group his attention while simultaneously managing two emergencies, highlighting the multitasking required of his role.
During the meeting, Voight delivered an impassioned speech in support of the Hollywood tax incentive bill. The proposed legislation would provide a rebate of 20 to 30 percent on domestic labor costs for films and television shows. Steven Paul recalled that Voight told the president he has a helpful heart and believes the measure can be finalized. Paul added that Voight was emotional by the end of the meeting, describing his presentation as an Academy Award-winning speech.
While Voight remained in the room, President Trump issued a post on Truth Social reaffirming his support for the federal incentive. He urged Congress to pass the bill, noting that meetings are being routinely set up with leaders from both parties. The post emphasized that the effort is bipartisan, particularly because a significant amount of money is currently flowing to other countries from blue states. Trump expressed hope that Republicans and Democrats would finalize the actively negotiated legislation quickly.
The president also mentioned his collaboration with Senator Adam Schiff, adding the phrase believe it or not. Karol confirmed that the team had met with Schiff earlier in the day. Schiff had instructed them to tell the president that the bill belongs to Senator Tim Scott and that he was there to help. Schiff later responded to the post on X, agreeing with the president that it is time for Congress to pass the incentive before Democrats take control in January.
Representative Laura Friedman, a Democratic co-author of the bill, also responded to the news. She stated that there is no excuse to wait, noting that a national incentive would create jobs in states including California, Georgia, New York, and New Jersey. She called for the legislation to be completed to benefit the entire country.
Karol indicated that the primary challenge is finding the correct legislative vehicle to include the incentive bill. He observed that momentum has not slowed following the Republican defeat in last week's midterm elections. He reported that there is good energy on both sides of the aisle, with no indication that the issue has lost importance since the election.
This development follows a recent Politico article which suggested that Hollywood's tax credit push had hit a wall after the midterms. Representative Don Beyer of Virginia had previously stated that the chances of passing any tax bill during the lame duck session were pretty low. Supporters hope that the president's public endorsement will encourage lawmakers to make the bill a priority.
Voight has served as an ambassador to Hollywood for the president, meeting with him multiple times to secure support for the tax credit. These efforts resulted in the president's initial endorsement in August, leading to the bipartisan introduction of the bill in September. Trump's comments on the film incentive preceded his public statement on the ground stop. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin later addressed the public, clarifying that the halt was a telecommunication outage and not a security threat similar to 9/11.
