Donald Trump announced in December 2025 that he was suing the BBC in the US for defamation and violation of a trade practices law.
He said he would be seeking up to $10 billion (£7.5 billion) over the way the BBC edited a clip of his 6 January 2021 speech ahead of the Capitol riot.
A number like that was never really about fair compensation — or even about an already wealthy man trying to get wealthier.
Today, the BBC said it will move to have the case thrown out — exactly what you’d expect from a serious broadcaster that refuses to be bullied into settling, and I’ll be cheering them on.
By doing so, the BBC is making clear it won’t bow to intimidation or accept an attempt to tie it up for years with legal bills, relentless headlines, and a chilling effect that could linger long after the case — or even his presidency — is over.
If your first instinct when Trump announced this lawsuit was to shrug, smirk, or even cheer him on because you have your own grievances with the BBC, then you’re exactly who Trump — and his allies in the UK — are counting on.
But it’s worth pausing, putting any negative feelings aside, and thinking seriously about who and what you might be endorsing by refusing to defend a British institution from this kind of pressure.
Because while we can argue — loudly — about impartiality, editorial judgement, and whether the licence fee still works, there’s a difference between criticising the BBC and cheering on a foreign president trying to bully an important piece of Britain’s global soft power.
Two things can be true at once: the BBC needs improving, and it needs defending from bad-faith actors.
The BBC has already apologised for the edit at the centre of this row. It should still answer questions about how it happened and what safeguards failed.
But Trump isn’t after accountability. He’s after submission.
And that comes at a cost.
Public money would be diverted from entertainment, journalism, local radio and the World Service into American-style litigation. Even if the BBC wins, the punishment is the process.
The government’s charter review into the BBC, published today, proposes keeping the licence fee but suggests other changes — like putting some content behind a paywall — in a bid to boost the corporation’s funding.
Now imagine how much content you might have to pay for if the BBC were on the hook for a multibillion-pound settlement — or, at the very least, a multimillion-pound legal bill.
We are lucky to be home to one of the world’s biggest and most trusted public news organisations — 77% of UK adults feel BBC news is valuable to society.
And yes, people have deep frustrations with BBC coverage — on Brexit, trans rights, Gaza, strikes, and more. I truly get it. For me, the latest irritation has been Eurovision.
The BBC’s handling of the contest’s Israel controversy has left a rancid taste in my mouth.
I’m gutted — and still, I don’t want Trump anywhere near the BBC. I want this case thrown out, and quickly.
Because while the BBC makes mistakes, it is far more accountable for them than many other media organisations — or Trump himself.
When BBC news gets something wrong, it doesn’t just quietly tweak a headline and hope nobody notices.
It corrects. It reports the correction. It apologises — often using the same breaking news push alerts that reach tens of millions of phones.
That is what accountability looks like, even if it’s a dirty word for MAGA fans at home and abroad.
The BBC can feel like an exception in a modern media ecosystem where mistruths can fly all day and apologies never catch up.
GB News, for example, has repeatedly aired serious, unchallenged conspiracy claims about everything from Covid vaccines to misogynism on-air.
That’s the contrast: the BBC can make mistakes, apologise, and still face a $10bn legal ambush — while other broadcasters edge into the gutter, shrug off outrage, and carry on.
If you think that’s a healthy direction for Britain, you’re kidding yourself.
This is why the government must stop treating Trump like a storm you can hide from by keeping your head down.
Keir Starmer has tried the low-profile, no-drama approach. But appeasement doesn’t buy stability — the US has reportedly suspended the UK’s ‘Tech Prosperity Deal’ that we worked so hard for — it just buys the next demand.
That’s why I’m proud the BBC is standing its ground against a ridiculous, laughable lawsuit. Starmer may be keeping his head in the sand, but the BBC is not.
Ministers must back the BBC publicly and make clear that attempts to weaponise US courts against UK public institutions won’t go anywhere. Stop acting as if the only choice is ‘keep quiet or risk a tantrum’.
A tantrum is coming either way.
Before anyone says, “Well, the BBC deserves it,” remember what’s actually at stake.
The BBC is not just another broadcaster. It’s one of the few institutions that still tries — however imperfectly — to serve everyone.
It makes the things we argue about, yes — but it also makes the things we share: radio, drama, sport, children’s TV and local services.
The World Service in particular is Britain at its best: trusted information in places where truth is dangerous and scarce.
In Afghanistan, where girls have been barred from education, the BBC World Service has been running an educational programme offering lessons hosted by Afghan female journalists evacuated after the Taliban takeover.
It’s British values — trusted information and world-class education — being exported to those who need it most.
That is what you’re defending when you defend the BBC. Not a presenter you dislike. Not a single editorial call you disagreed with. Not a song contest losing its soul.
Something bigger: the idea that public-interest media is worth having, worth arguing with, and worth protecting from bullies.
So yes — demand a better BBC. Push for reform. Call out its blind spots.
But don’t mistake Trump’s attack for “accountability”. This isn’t about one edit, one lawsuit, or even one broadcaster.
It’s a battle for the soul of our country: whether we still believe in public service, shared facts, and institutions we can criticise without trying to destroy them.
The BBC is right to defend itself. It made a mistake — and this lawsuit is still absurd.
The moment we stop answering that absurdity is the moment we trade our shared reality for fear, vendettas and power.
