Spencer Pratt Meets With Trump, Pushes 25% Federal Tax Credit to ‘Bring Back Hollywood’

Spencer Pratt is continuing his political involvement following his Los Angeles mayoral campaign, revealing that he recently met with President Donald J. Trump to discuss a plan aimed at revitalizing Hollywood and bringing film and television production back to the United States.

Pratt said he is working with the president on the idea of establishing a 25% federal tax credit for film and television productions. The proposal would provide a nationwide incentive for companies to shoot projects in the United States rather than moving productions to foreign countries offering more attractive financial benefits.

The former “Hills” star argued that Hollywood has steadily lost jobs and productions to overseas competitors. He specifically pointed to Canada, the United Kingdom and Budapest as locations attracting work that he believes should instead be supporting American actors, crews and production companies.

Pratt also took aim at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, accusing state officials of failing to protect California’s entertainment industry while production leaves the state and country. He presented the proposed federal incentive as a way to make the United States more competitive and help reverse the decline in domestic production.

According to Pratt, Trump showed considerable interest in the proposal during their meeting. Pratt praised the president for focusing on Hollywood’s struggles and said Trump remains committed to California despite those who believe the state’s political and economic problems have made it a lost cause.

The pair met at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, where they discussed the film tax credit over lunch. Pratt said they also discussed several other important issues but did not reveal specifics about those conversations.

Pratt’s latest effort comes after he fell short of advancing to the November runoff in the Los Angeles mayoral election. Mayor Karen Bass finished first in the primary with 34% of the vote, while Nithya Raman received 29% and Pratt finished close behind with 25.5%. Despite the defeat, Pratt has made clear that he intends to remain politically active.

The proposed federal tax credit would represent a broader approach than relying exclusively on California’s existing production incentives. Pratt’s argument is that Hollywood’s problems have become a national economic issue because productions moving abroad take American jobs and spending with them.

For Pratt, working with President Trump offers a new avenue to pursue an issue that became a major part of his political message in Los Angeles. His mayoral campaign may be over, but his push to rebuild Hollywood is continuing, this time with an effort to convince Washington to give entertainment companies a major financial incentive to keep their productions in America.