Kristen Stewart Threatens To Leave US for European Projects Over Trump's 'America-First' Film Policies

Kristen Stewart has spent two decades as one of Hollywood's most recognisable faces. Now, she says she is ready to walk away from the country that made her famous.

In interviews published across New York and London in December 2025 and January 2026, the Twilight star and first-time feature director revealed she is 'probably not' going to live in the United States much longer. The reason, according to Stewart, is simple: she no longer feels she can work freely there.

At the centre of her frustration sits President Donald Trump and his proposed America-first film policies, including a threatened 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made productions. Stewart, who filmed her directorial debut in Latvia because she believed the project would have been impossible to make in America, says the political climate has made the creative environment too unstable to bear.

'Reality is breaking completely under Trump,' she said.

Kristen Stewart Threatens To Leave the US

According to Fox News, Kristen Stewart said she is 'probably not' going to live in the US much longer, despite currently dividing her time between Los Angeles and New York. Speaking to 'The Times', she explained that she is deliberately shaping her directing career around Europe, where she believes filmmaking is more flexible. Stewart said the US system places barriers on smaller, personal projects.

'I can't work freely there,' Stewart said, referring to the US. She stressed that her plans do not involve turning her back on American audiences entirely. Instead, she wants to make films overseas and later release them in the US.

Her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, was filmed in Latvia. Stewart said it would have been impossible to make the film in the US. The project was first announced in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival and later confirmed in 2024 as a Latvia-based production.

'I needed a sort of radical detachment,' Stewart said at the time. 'I am not a director yet. I need to make a student film. I can't do that here.'

Stewart Blames Donald Trump

Stewart placed direct blame on Donald Trump for what she described as a breakdown in artistic stability. She said his leadership and policy direction have made the creative environment more uncertain. The actress described the proposed film tariffs as alarming for the wider industry.

'Reality is breaking completely under Trump,' Stewart said. She added that filmmakers should focus on creating alternative paths rather than working within systems they find restrictive.

Her criticism also reflects a long and public history with Trump. In 2012, Trump posted multiple messages about Stewart during a highly publicised personal scandal involving her former partner, Robert Pattinson.

Stewart later described Trump's interest in her private life as 'weird,' questioning why he was so invested.

Trump's America-First Film Policies

In September 2025, Donald Trump proposed a 100% tariff on films produced outside the US. The plan followed an earlier warning issued in May 2025. Trump said the move was needed to protect domestic filmmaking.

'Our movie-making business has been stolen from the United States of America by other Countries, just like stealing candy from a baby,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. He blamed California leadership for weakening the industry and pledged to impose tariffs on all foreign-made films entering the US.

Despite the announcement, the proposal has not yet been implemented. The White House has not clarified how the tariffs would be enforced or what legal authority would support them.

Trump's Policies Could Damage the US Film Industry

Other officials and analysts have warned that the proposal could harm the US film industry. California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office issued a sharp response on X, saying Trump had been warned about the consequences.

'His actions will cause irreparable damage to the US film industry,' the statement said.

Industry analysts have also raised concerns. Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight said the uncertainty alone could increase costs.

'There is too much uncertainty, and this latest move raises more questions than answers,' he said. Reuters reported that the US film industry recorded a $15.3 billion (£11.17 billion) trade surplus in 2023, underlining fears that tariffs could disrupt a globally connected sector.