Trump Slams BBC With $10bn Lawsuit Over Edited Documentary

Trump Slams BBC With $10bn Lawsuit Over Edited Documentary

United States President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), seeking at least $10 billion in damages over a documentary that allegedly misrepresented his January 6, 2021 speech to supporters ahead of the US Capitol riot.

In the suit, filed on Monday in a federal court in Miami, the US President demanded $5 billion each on two counts of alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Trump, 79, accused the BBC of editing his speech in a way that falsely suggested that he directly encouraged supporters to attack the Capitol as lawmakers certified former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Earlier on Monday, Trump had signalled the lawsuit was imminent, claiming the broadcaster “put words in my mouth” and suggesting the edits may have involved artificial intelligence.

The documentary in question was aired last year on the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Panorama, ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. According to the lawsuit, producers spliced together separate portions of Trump’s speech, creating the impression that he explicitly called for violence.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team accused the BBC of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” the speech in what they described as an effort to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.

The spokesperson further alleged that the broadcaster has a history of misleading coverage of Trump driven by a “leftist political agenda.”

The controversy has already shaken the BBC. Last month, renewed scrutiny of the edited clip triggered internal turmoil, ultimately leading to the resignation of the corporation’s director-general and its top news executive.

Trump’s lawsuit claims the edited footage was “fabricated” and aired just one week before the 2024 election in an attempt to influence the outcome against him.

While the BBC has denied the defamation allegations, its chairman, Samir Shah, has written Trump a letter of apology.

Shah also told a UK parliamentary committee that the organisation failed to act swiftly after the editing error was identified in an internal memo, which was later leaked to The Daily Telegraph.