President Donald Trump said Monday, Dec. 15, that he planned to sue the BBC, accusing the British public broadcaster of deceptively editing his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a documentary that aired just days before the 2024 presidential election.
Speaking at the White House, Trump, 79, told reporters, “In a little while you’ll be seeing I’m suing the BBC,” claiming the network was “putting words in my mouth.”
Later that day, Trump filed suit in federal court in Miami, seeking $5 billion in damages for defamation and an additional $5 billion tied to an alleged violation of trade practices, according to court filings.
The lawsuit centers on a Panorama episode titled Trump: A Second Chance?, which examined Trump’s Jan. 6 remarks. The complaint alleges the program used clips arranged out of sequence in a way that suggested Trump was explicitly urging supporters toward violence. The documentary included Trump’s “fight like hell” line and a call to march, while omitting portions in which he urged supporters to protest peacefully. The crowd later stormed the U.S. Capitol.
In the 33-page complaint, Trump’s attorneys requested a jury trial and described the documentary as “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence the Election’s outcome to President Trump’s detriment.” The BBC, BBC Studios Distribution Ltd., and BBC Studios Productions Ltd. are listed as defendants.
A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster would fight the case, adding, “As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team accused the BBC of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” Trump’s speech, calling the lawsuit an effort to hold the broadcaster accountable for “defamation and reckless election interference.”
The lawsuit follows a BBC apology issued Nov. 13 regarding the editing of the segment. In its statement, the broadcaster said it accepted that the edit “unintentionally created the impression” viewers were seeing one continuous portion of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points—an approach it said could have left a “mistaken impression” that Trump had made a direct call for violent action. The BBC also said BBC chair Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House expressing regret over how the clip was edited.
However, the BBC maintained it did not believe the situation supported a defamation claim and declined to pay compensation after Trump’s lawyers threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Amid the fallout, BBC News Director-General Tim Davie and CEO Deborah Turness resigned, according to NPR. In a message to staff, Davie acknowledged the “mistake” while also supporting the BBC’s decision to defend itself.
The BBC has previously acknowledged that Trump’s remarks included, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” followed more than 50 minutes later by, “And we fight. We fight like hell.” The broadcaster said the documentary edit combined those moments to appear as if Trump said them back-to-back: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
