Donald Trump has filed a $10billion (£7.4billion) lawsuit against the BBC over a controversial edit of one of his speeches.
Last month, it emerged that an episode of current affairs show Panorama that first aired in 2024 had spliced together comments from Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech at the US Capitol that some believed made it appear that he had actively encouraged the attacks on US Congress on the same day.
The BBC apologised to the President, admitting that the edits gave “the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action”, and it led to the shock resignation of Director General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness.
Now, Trump has followed through on a promise to sue the BBC for the incident, filing a complaint on Monday (December 15) that seeks $5billion in damages for defamation and the same amount for a claim that the BBC violated Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Trump’s legal team have stated: “The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2025 presidential election.”
At a press conference on Monday, Trump accused the BBC of “putting terrible words in my mouth that I didn’t say”, and even suggested that they “may have used AI”.
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Last month, the BBC said they “strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim” over the Panorama episode, arguing that the show was not broadcast in the US and claiming that it did not harm Trump’s 2024 campaign. They also said the clip was not designed to mislead, but was edited to shorten a longer speech.
Now, a BBC spokesperson has said: “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
The Labour government are now coming under pressure to defend the corporation against Trump’s case, with Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urging Keir Starmer to “stand up for the BBC against Trump’s outrageous legal threat”.
In other news, Trump caused controversy earlier this week (December 15) when he launched a personal attack on the murdered director Rob Reiner, who was found dead with his wife Michele Singer-Reiner in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.
The President suggested that his killing was brought about by his anti-Trump politics, writing that Reiner had been suffering from a “massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome”.
Among those to criticise Trump’s words was Jack White, who said: “Trump you disgusting, vile, egomaniac loser, child. Neither her not any one of his followers can defend this gross, horrible insult to a beautiful artist who gave the world so much”.