Can Trump Save Hollywood? episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 28, 2025 · 1H 17M

Can Trump Save Hollywood?

from Ruthless Podcast · host Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook

🎙️ The fellas explore the total collapse of Hollywood cinema and what it might mean for the American consumer. We all agree the movies just aren't what they used to be—you can't find a good, simple action flick or comedy anymore. Holmes points out how the shift happened during the Obama years, moving toward terrible, non-English, anti-American award bait. 🎬 The fellas drive home that Trump's greater influence lies not just in movie preferences but in reindustrializing the American film industry. We discussed how high taxes and regulations in California led to outsourcing production overseas, particularly to countries that incentivize making content with a cultural disposition that shows America in the worst possible light. If Trump provided competitive tax incentives to bring film production back home and coupled that with cultural benchmarks, it could reinvigorate American movies made for an American audience. 📱 Then, a new transparency feature comes to X and exposes the location of popular accounts. Many accounts posing as American patriots or constitutionalists are actually based in foreign countries. We explain how mainstream media journos rely on X's algorithm for "sentiment analysis" from "the base," which is easily polluted by these foreign accounts. Is it time to get rid of the algorithm entirely and return to a chronological timeline. 🐎 In variety: there’s a Namibian politician with the most unfortunate name as the most famous dictator in history. We can't believe a name like that not only exists but gets re-elected. Then, an absolutely insane clip of a rogue ambulance driving onto the inside rail of a track during a horse race in Louisiana 🐘 We wrap with Brent Gardner from AFP about the legislative agenda for the end of the year, focusing on energy permitting reform to boost American production and healthcare reform. We also hit on the importance of the NDAA as a vehicle for AI preemption legislation to ensure the US remains the global leader in technology. 00:00 - The Fellas on Hollywood's Decline and Trump's Cultural Reach 03:14 - Why Modern Movies Suck and Trump's Plan to Reindustrialize American Cinema 08:50 - Discussing Ben Smith's Semafor Article on Trump and Hollywood 15:59 - Hollywood Outsourcing Problem 28:52 - X’s New Transparency Feature 47:46 - Can We Fix X 52:32 - Unfortunate Politico Name and Wrong Way Driver In THE WORST Place 01:03:30 - Brent Gardner (AFP) on the Congressional Sprint to the End of the Year Our Sponsors: ➢Go to https://zbiotics.com/RUTHLESS and use RUTHLESS at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. ➢Insurance companies are threatening to raise your premiums and putting greed before patients. It's time to hold them accountable. https://www.americansforopengovernment.com/ ➢Help fuel America's energy advantage. Visit https://www.chevron.com/America to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🎙️ The fellas explore the total collapse of Hollywood cinema and what it might mean for the American consumer. We all agree the movies just aren't what they used to be—you can't find a good, simple action flick or comedy anymore. Holmes points out how the shift happened during the Obama years, moving toward terrible, non-English, anti-American award bait. 🎬 The fellas drive home that Trump's greater influence lies not just in movie preferences but in reindustrializing the American film industry. We discussed how high taxes and regulations in California led to outsourcing production overseas, particularly to countries that incentivize making content with a cultural disposition that shows America in the worst possible light. If Trump provided competitive tax incentives to bring film production back home and coupled that with cultural benchmarks, it could reinvigorate American movies made for an American audience. 📱 Then, a new transparency feature comes to X and exposes the location of popular accounts. Many accounts posing as American patriots or constitutionalists are actually based in foreign countries. We explain how mainstream media journos rely on X's algorithm for "sentiment analysis" from "the base," which is easily polluted by these foreign accounts. Is it time to get rid of the algorithm entirely and return to a chronological timeline. 🐎 In variety: there’s a Namibian politician with the most unfortunate name as the most famous dictator in history. We can't believe a name like that not only exists but gets re-elected. Then, an absolutely insane clip of a rogue ambulance driving onto the inside rail of a track during a horse race in Louisiana 🐘 We wrap with Brent Gardner from AFP about the legislative agenda for the end of the year, focusing on energy permitting reform to boost American production and healthcare reform. We also hit on the importance of the NDAA as a vehicle for AI preemption legislation to ensure the US remains the global leader in technology. 00:00 - The Fellas on Hollywood's Decline and Trump's Cultural Reach 03:14 - Why Modern Movies Suck and Trump's Plan to Reindustrialize American Cinema 08:50 - Discussing Ben Smith's Semafor Article on Trump and Hollywood 15:59 - Hollywood Outsourcing Problem 28:52 - X’s New Transparency Feature 47:46 - Can We Fix X 52:32 - Unfortunate Politico Name and Wrong Way Driver In THE WORST Place 01:03:30 - Brent Gardner (AFP) on the Congressional Sprint to the End of the Year Our Sponsors: ➢Go to https://zbiotics.com/RUTHLESS and use RUTHLESS at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. ➢Insurance companies are threatening to raise your premiums and putting greed before patients. It's time to hold them accountable. https://www.americansforopengovernment.com/ ➢Help fuel America's energy advantage. Visit https://www.chevron.com/America to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Can Trump Save Hollywood?

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This episode is 1 hour and 17 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 28, 2025.

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🎙️ The fellas explore the total collapse of Hollywood cinema and what it might mean for the American consumer. We all agree the movies just aren't what they used to be—you can't find a good, simple action flick or comedy anymore. Holmes points out...

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