U.S President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of misleadingly editing footage of his January 6, 2021 speech in a way that suggested he encouraged supporters to violently storm the U.S. Capitol.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, claims the BBC combined excerpts from Trump’s speech specifically his call for supporters to march to the Capitol and his use of the phrase “fight like hell” while excluding remarks in which he urged peaceful protest. Trump argues that this editing falsely portrayed him as inciting violence.
Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages on each of two claims: defamation and violation of a Florida law prohibiting deceptive and unfair trade practices.
The BBC has acknowledged an error in judgment, apologized to Trump, and admitted the edit created a misleading impression. However, the broadcaster maintains there is no legal basis for the lawsuit.
The controversy has triggered a major internal crisis at the BBC. The documentary, which aired on the investigative program Panorama shortly before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, has been pulled from rebroadcast, and the dispute contributed to the resignation of the broadcaster’s two most senior executives.
The BBC is funded through mandatory license fees paid by UK television viewers, a structure that legal experts say could make any potential financial settlement politically sensitive.
The documentary drew further scrutiny after a leaked memo from an external standards adviser raised concerns about editorial decisions, as part of a broader investigation into alleged political bias at the BBC.
Although the program was not broadcast in the United States, Trump filed the lawsuit there, likely because British defamation law requires claims to be brought within one year of publication a deadline that has already passed.
Under U.S. law, Trump must prove not only that the edit was false and damaging but also that the BBC acted knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth. Legal experts say the BBC may argue the documentary was substantially accurate and did not cause reputational harm.
Trump has previously reached settlements with other media organizations, including CBS and ABC, following his 2024 election victory. He has also filed lawsuits against the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and an Iowa newspaper, all of which deny wrongdoing.
The January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was carried out by Trump supporters seeking to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
