Trump threatens BBC with $1.5 billion lawsuit

US President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC over its editing of a 2021 speech he delivered on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol. 

The broadcaster acknowledged the edit was an “error of judgement.”

Trump’s lawyers demanded that the BBC retract its Panorama documentary by 14 November or face a lawsuit seeking at least US$1 billion ($1.5 billion).

Trump threatens BBC with $1.5 billion lawsuit

They argued that the program had spliced together two separate excerpts from Trump’s speech to make it appear he was inciting the January 6 riot, calling the portrayal “false and defamatory.”

The controversy has thrown the BBC into turmoil. Director-General Tim Davie and Chief Executive of News Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday. BBC Chair Samir Shah apologised for the editing error on Monday but rejected claims of systemic bias in the broadcaster’s reporting. He said the BBC is considering its response to the legal threat.

The crisis followed the leak of an internal report that criticised the BBC’s coverage, including the Trump speech edit, in a program aired shortly before the November 2024 US presidential election. The report also highlighted concerns over coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict and transgender issues.

Shah admitted that the edit created the impression of a direct call for violence. He stated in a letter to politicians: “The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement.” Trump’s lawyers maintain the BBC violated Florida defamation law by omitting facts and deceptively combining clips to misrepresent his speech.

While US defamation law makes it challenging for public figures like Trump to win such cases—requiring proof that false information was knowingly published—several US media outlets, including CBS and ABC News, have recently settled lawsuits filed by Trump.

Shah acknowledged the criticism over the Trump speech but insisted the BBC did not attempt to suppress allegations of bias or avoid addressing issues, saying claims of systemic bias were “wrong.” Davie will remain in his role for the coming months until a successor is appointed.