16 December 2025 · 11:39
US President Donald Trump is suing the BBC (Leon Neal/PA) Leon Neal
US President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC in a Florida court, alleging the broadcaster deceptively edited his January 6, 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary. The legal action seeks $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion for violating Florida’s trade practices law.
The 33-page lawsuit accuses the BBC of «intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively» doctoring Trump’s speech delivered before the Capitol riots. Trump claims the broadcaster spliced together two segments spoken nearly an hour apart to create a misleading impression.
The edited version showed Trump saying: «We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.» The lawsuit argues this misrepresented his original speech by combining separate statements.
The Panorama episode aired just a week before the 2024 US election, which Trump’s legal team calls «a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence» the presidential race.
BBC’s Response and Fallout
The BBC apologized for an «error of judgment» in the editing, acknowledging it gave «the impression of a direct call for violent action,» according to BBC chairman Samir Shah.
