Trump sues BBC for defamation over edited speech, seeks $5 billion in damages

Highlights:

President Donald Trump has filed a major defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), accusing the network of misleadingly editing a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, just before the attack on the US Capitol. Trump claims the edits falsely suggested he encouraged violence and is seeking damages of at least $5 billion, with reports indicating the figure could rise to $10 billion.

Trump confirmed the lawsuit on Monday (15) while speaking to reporters at the Oval Office. He said the BBC altered his words in a way that seriously misrepresented his message to supporters.

“In a little while, you’ll be seeing I’m suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth,” Trump said. “They literally put words in my mouth. They had me saying things that I never said.”

The lawsuit focuses on an episode of Panorama, the BBC's flagship current affairs program. The episode aired about a week before the 2024 US presidential election. According to Trump, the program edited together separate parts of his January 6 speech to make it appear as if he directly urged the crowd to march to the Capitol and 'fight like hell.'

The edited segment suggested Trump told supporters, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.” Trump argues these words came from different parts of his speech, delivered nearly an hour apart, and were combined misleadingly.

Trump has long denied that his January 6 speech was meant to incite violence or encourage the storming of the Capitol. The riot was aimed at stopping Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Following public criticism, the BBC admitted that the editing was an 'error of judgment' and issued an apology to Trump. However, the broadcaster has said there is no legal basis for a defamation claim and has refused to pay any compensation.

The controversy led to major leadership changes at the BBC. Director General Tim Davie and BBC News head Deborah Turness both resigned after the incident, adding to the seriousness of the fallout.

Trump filed the lawsuit Monday evening (15) in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This move raised questions because BBC One and BBC iPlayer are not available in the US. Trump's legal team argued that the court has jurisdiction because the BBC conducts significant business in Florida through its website and through BritBox, a streaming service offered in the US.

Trump's lawyers also claim the broadcast amounted to election interference. A spokesperson said the edited program, which aired shortly before the 2024 election, was designed to influence voters.

“The BBC has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump,” the spokesperson said, accusing the network of acting with a political agenda.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in Trump's long-running disputes with major media organizations, which he frequently accuses of misrepresenting his words and actions.