Trump’s suggestion to refurbish and reopen the Alcatraz prison to house violent criminals came as a surprise.

The infamous prison off the coast of San Francisco also known as The Rock, closed 60 years ago and has since been operating as a tourist attraction.

“It represents something very powerful, very strong in terms of law and order,” Trump said Monday.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose district encompasses Alcatraz, said “the president’s proposal is not a serious one.”

But some Republicans like the idea.

“I don’t believe in keeping [criminals] comfortable,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer. “I want them to regret the crime.”

Trump also confirmed that he offered to send U.S. troops into Mexico to combat drug trafficking, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum declined the offer.

“She is so afraid of the cartels she can’t even think straight,” Trump said.

Movie studio stocks finished in the red after Trump said he would implement 100 percent tariffs on all movies filmed outside the U.S.

Trump described U.S. productions abroad as a “national security threat,” saying foreign countries could use their films as propaganda.

“Our film industry has been decimated by other countries, and also by incompetence, like in Los Angeles, the governor is a grossly incompetent man, he’s just allowed it to be taken away from Hollywood,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “You know Hollywood doesn’t do very much of that business. They have a nice sign, but they don’t do very much, a lot of it has been taken to other countries.”

Industry insiders expressed confusion over the logistics of putting tariffs on intellectual property. The move, if implemented, is certain to be challenged in court on First Amendment grounds.

A White House spokesperson told The Hill “no final decisions have been made” but that they’re “exploring all options.”

Still, the mere threat of tariffs could further damage a battered industry that is trying to regain its footing after the pandemic, labor strikes and an industry-wide contraction. Hollywood productions sometimes go abroad to make use of locations not available in the U.S. or to take advantage of tax credits.

“I’m not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry,” Trump added. “But they’re given financing by other countries…and the industry is decimated…so we’re going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they’re happy with it….we’ll get it back.”

CNBC reported that Wedbush Securities wrote to investors Monday saying studios at every level “carry a significant amount of risk as they will have to lobby the Trump administration to set a reasonable standard for films that require live sets in foreign settings.”

Trump will meet with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday amid the trade war fallout.

“He’s coming to see me, I don’t know what he wants to see me about,” Trump said. “But he wants to make a deal. Everybody does.”

💡Perspectives:

• Scott Bessent: Three steps to economic growth.

• The Free Press: Buffett saves his best for last.

• Sasha Stone: Dear Mr. President, Not the dolls.

• The Guardian: The case for American reindustrialization.

• The Hill: Trump’s goodwill and polls in free fall.

💡Perspectives:

• Josh Hawley: Break up Big Tech.

• The Wall Street Journal: The GOP’s Medicaid moment of truth.

• Working Life: Gut ’em, rob ’em, leave the carcass to rot.

• Compact: The persistence of lesser-evil politics.

• New York: Trump’s government cuts are just getting started.

New party leaders are laying the tracks for potential future presidential run.

• The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is keeping Democrats in suspense over her next move.

• Sports talker Stephen A. Smith, who has been making the rounds of political talk shows, says the Democratic Party would need to be “purged” of the old guard if he’s going to launch a bid.

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is turning heads with his tough talk on Trump.

• Could former Vice President Harris return for another crack at it in 2028?

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton writes:

“Senate Democrats are skeptical about their former colleague, former Vice President Kamala Harris, making another presidential run in 2028 after she lost all seven battleground states to President Trump in November, but most of them aren’t ruling out the possibility that she could clinch the party’s nomination if she plays her cards right.”

💡Perspectives:

• The Liberal Patriot: What early indicators say about 2026.

• The Hill: NPR’s undoing is a cautionary tale for the media.

• USA Today: Why Dems keep losing.

• New York: Who is to blame for the catastrophe of school closures?

• American Greatness: From one hysteria to the next.