Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart says she’s likely leaving the United States because she feels she “can’t work freely” under President Donald Trump’s policies. This is a big announcement from an actress who works in both Los Angeles and New York. Stewart is now building her directing career in Europe, saying that the current American environment is too restrictive for creative expression.
According to the New York Post, her main concern comes from a policy proposal affecting the entertainment industry. Trump claims the US movie-making business has been “stolen” by other countries, comparing it to “stealing ‘candy from a baby.'” He ended his statement by demanding attention to the issue and urging people to “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Stewart called the threat of these tariffs “terrifying” for the film business. A 100% tariff creates a huge barrier, and producers and directors are worried about that level of financial pressure. California’s Governor’s office strongly opposed the president’s proposal, stating that it would “cause irreparable damage to the U.S. film industry” and calling the move “100% stupid.” While the proposal hasn’t moved forward, the threat alone has pushed Stewart toward leaving the country.
Stewart sees Trump’s America as hostile to artistic freedom
For Stewart, this isn’t just about money, it’s about being able to express herself without extreme barriers. She told reporters she’s “probably not” going to live in the US much longer, explaining, “Reality is breaking completely under Trump.” She believes artists should “take a page out of his book and create the reality we want to live in.”
She said, “I can’t work freely there. But I don’t want to give up completely. I’d like to make movies in Europe and then shove them down the throat of the American people.” The tariff threat follows Trump’s pattern of using aggressive trade policies against allies to push his economic agenda.
She’s already started this plan with her first directed film, The Chronology of Water. The movie was shot in Latvia because, she explained, “it would have been impossible to do in the States.” In 2024, she said she needed a “radical detachment” from the US system to make the project she wanted. She felt she needed to work where the film culture was “fledgling” because, as she put it, “I am not a director yet. I need to make a student film. I can’t do that here.”
Last month, Stewart criticized the entire entertainment world, calling it a “capitalist hell” that is unwelcoming to women and “marginalized voices.” She argues the current structure has created “unbelievable barriers for artists to express themselves.” Stewart believes we’re at a “pivotal nexus” and ready for a “full system break.” She even mentioned needing a “weird, like Marxist, Communist-like, situation” to simplify filmmaking.
Critics say Trump’s aggressive tactics benefit his donors more than everyday Americans. Stewart and President Trump have a history dating back over a decade. When she was dating her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Stewart was involved in a cheating scandal. Trump posted comments about it on social media, advising, “Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again, just watch. He can do much better!”
Published: Jan 26, 2026 04:03 pm