US President Donald Trump filed a USD 10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of deliberately misleading viewers by editing footage of his January 6, 2021 speech in a way that portrayed him as inciting violence ahead of the attack on the US Capitol.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court in Miami, includes one count of defamation and another under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Trump is seeking USD 5 billion in damages for each claim, according to reports by Fox News. His legal team alleges the broadcaster intentionally manipulated his words to damage his reputation and influence the 2024 presidential election.
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“The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring his speech,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told Fox News Digital. The statement accuses the BBC of broadcasting a distorted narrative designed to mislead audiences about Trump’s role in the events that unfolded on January 6.
At the centre of the lawsuit is a clip aired as part of a BBC Panorama documentary examining the Capitol riot. According to Trump’s complaint, the programme selectively edited excerpts from his speech delivered to supporters in Washington shortly before they marched toward the Capitol. The edited segment reportedly combined Trump’s call for supporters to walk to the Capitol with his use of the phrase 'fight like hell,' while omitting a separate portion of the same speech in which he urged demonstrators to act 'peacefully and patriotically.'
Trump argues that this editing created a false and defamatory impression that he explicitly encouraged violence, an allegation he has consistently rejected. In the 46-page filing, his legal team claims the omission of his calls for peaceful protest fundamentally altered the meaning of the speech and misrepresented his intent.
The legal action adds to Trump’s long-running disputes with major media organisations, which he has frequently accused of bias and misrepresentation. It also raises broader questions about editorial responsibility, selective editing and the legal boundaries between journalistic interpretation and defamation.
The BBC has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit. If the case proceeds, it could become one of the most high-profile legal battles between a sitting US president and an international media organisation, with potential implications for how politically sensitive footage is edited and presented in documentary journalism.
