The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has filed a lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of defamation and violating laws regarding commercial practices, in connection with the editing of his speech on January 6, 2021, in a Panorama program documentary. The lawsuit was filed in the state of Florida.
According to court documents, Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two charges, claiming that the BBC „intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” altered his statements.
BBC has not officially responded to the lawsuit yet, but previously stated that it rejects the compensation claims and that there is "no basis for a defamation action."
The British broadcaster apologized to Trump in November, acknowledging that the broadcast edit created a "misleading impression" that the former White House leader "made a direct call to violent actions."
In the original speech on January 6, 2021, delivered before the assault on the US Capitol, Trump told his supporters: "We will go to the Capitol and encourage our brave senators and congressmen." About 50 minutes later, he added: "And we will fight. We will fight fiercely."
In the Panorama documentary, these excerpts were edited in a way that made Trump appear to say in a single sequence: "We will go to the Capitol... and I will be there with you. And we will fight. We will fight fiercely," an editing that BBC later admitted was incorrect.
Last month, Trump stated his intention to sue the BBC, and on Monday confirmed that the action is imminent. "We will probably file the lawsuit this afternoon or tomorrow morning," he told reporters at the White House. "They literally put words in my mouth," added the US President, according to Le Figaro. In a previous statement, Trump had said: "I think I have to do it. They cheated. They changed the words that came out of my mouth."
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The scandal had major repercussions at the top of the BBC. News department head Deborah Turness and CEO Tim Davie resigned. BBC President Samir Shah told a parliamentary committee investigating the case that Turness "was right to resign due to the error in her division."
Donald Trump has filed or threatened lawsuits against several US media institutions over time, with some paying significant sums to settle the disputes. Since returning to power, he has adopted an increasingly hostile attitude towards the traditional press, instead inviting influencers and content creators favorable to the White House, including the conservative British channel GB News, close to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage, to the White House.