US President Donald Trump has announced plans to sue the BBC over the editing of his speech in a Panorama broadcast, despite the corporation issuing an apology but refusing to pay compensation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he intended to file a lawsuit seeking “between $1 billion and $5 billion” as early as next week.
The BBC previously acknowledged that its edit of Trump’s 6 January 2021 speech had unintentionally created “the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.” While apologising, the broadcaster said it would not offer financial compensation.
The incident sparked the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness. Trump accused the broadcaster of altering his remarks, saying, “They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth.”
He added that he had not discussed the matter with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, although Starmer had requested a conversation.
Earlier this week, Trump’s legal team threatened a $1 billion lawsuit unless the BBC retracted the segment, apologised and compensated him. Searches of public court databases show no lawsuit has been filed yet, and federal and state courts in Florida—where the suit would likely be lodged—are now closed for the weekend.
In a GB News interview recorded before his announcement, Trump called the edit “the most egregious” media misrepresentation he had seen, comparing it to a previous CBS controversy involving former vice-president Kamala Harris. Paramount Global paid $16 million earlier this year to resolve that dispute.
The BBC’s apology came shortly after a second, similarly edited clip from a 2022 Newsnight broadcast surfaced. In a statement posted in its Corrections and Clarifications section, the BBC said Panorama’s edit combined excerpts from different parts of Trump’s speech, unintentionally creating the impression of a continuous section that appeared to call for violence.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed that a formal response had been sent to Trump’s legal team, and that BBC chair Samir Shah had personally written to the White House expressing regret over the edit.
However, the BBC maintains it has no legal liability. In its reply, the broadcaster outlined five reasons why it believes the defamation claim has no basis:
- The Panorama episode was not broadcast in the US and was restricted to UK audiences.
- Trump suffered no harm, as he was re-elected shortly after.
- The edit was intended only to shorten a long speech and was not made with malice.
- The clip was part of a much larger hour-long programme containing multiple perspectives, including those supportive of Trump.
- Political speech and commentary on matters of public interest are strongly protected under US defamation law.
Trump said pursuing the lawsuit is necessary “to stop it from happening again with other people.”Trump To Sue BBC For Up To $5 Billion Over Edited Speech
