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MIAMI — U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), accusing the publicly funded broadcaster of maliciously editing his January 6, 2021, speech in a Panorama documentary to falsely portray him as inciting violence ahead of the Capitol riot. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court in the Southern District of Florida, seeks $5 billion in damages on each of two counts: defamation and violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The complaint alleges that the BBC "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively" spliced together segments of Trump's speech from the Ellipse rally, creating the impression that he directly urged supporters to "fight like hell" while marching to the Capitol. In reality, the edited clip combined remarks separated by more than 50 minutes, omitting calls for peaceful protest. The documentary, titled "Trump: A Second Chance?", aired on October 28, 2024—just days before the U.S. presidential election—and has since been withdrawn from rebroadcast.
Trump's legal team described the edit as a "brazen attempt" to interfere in the 2024 election, claiming it caused significant reputational and financial harm despite Trump's subsequent victory. "The BBC has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own leftist political agenda," a spokesperson for the team stated.
On Tuesday, the BBC confirmed it would vigorously defend the case. "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 said.
The controversy originated from a leaked internal BBC memo in November 2025, which criticized the Panorama edit for misleading viewers. The memo, written by a former external adviser, highlighted how the splicing gave the "mistaken impression" of a direct call for violent action. This led to a major crisis at the BBC, culminating in the resignations of Director-General Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness. Davie cited the need to take "ultimate responsibility" for mistakes, while Turness noted the controversy was damaging the institution.
Last month, BBC Chairman Samir Shah issued a personal apology to the White House, acknowledging an "error of judgment." The broadcaster admitted the edit unintentionally misrepresented Trump's words but rejected demands for compensation, arguing no malice was involved, the program caused no harm (as Trump won re-election), and it was not distributed in the U.S.—available only to UK viewers via BBC iPlayer.
Trump's lawsuit counters that the documentary reached U.S. audiences through third-party distributors like Blue Ant Media (with North American licensing rights) and BritBox streaming, or via VPNs. It also alleges filming occurred in Florida, including at Mar-a-Lago, establishing jurisdiction.
The January 6 speech remains a flashpoint. Trump told supporters: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." Later, he said: "We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore." He also urged peaceful demonstration. The Panorama version combined these into: "We’re going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."
Legal experts note challenges for Trump under U.S. defamation law, which requires proving "actual malice" for public figures—knowing falsehood or reckless disregard for truth. The BBC maintains the edit shortened a lengthy speech without intent to deceive. Defamation suits in the UK face a one-year limitation, now expired, prompting the Florida filing.
This lawsuit extends Trump's aggressive media litigation strategy since his re-election. He has secured settlements from U.S. outlets like ABC ($15 million) and CBS/Paramount ($16 million) over alleged deceptive editing. Ongoing cases include multi-billion-dollar claims against The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Trump's criticisms, calling the BBC a "leftist propaganda machine" and "100% fake news" in response to the controversy.
The case could drag on, testing transatlantic press freedoms and BBC impartiality amid its charter review by the UK government. Critics, including conservative figures, have long accused the BBC of bias, while supporters defend its journalistic standards.
As the lawsuit proceeds, it highlights ongoing debates over media accountability, editorial decisions in documentaries, and the boundaries of free speech in covering polarizing figures. The BBC has faced intense scrutiny but insists the error was isolated, not indicative of systemic issues.
