U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion, accusing the broadcaster of defaming him through an edited segment of his January 6, 2021, speech. The announcement comes as the BBC faces one of its worst internal crises in decades, with two senior executives stepping down over accusations of bias and improper editing.
Trump’s legal team had earlier given the BBC a deadline to retract the documentary, apologise, and pay compensation for what they called serious damage to his reputation. The BBC had already issued an apology, with Chair Samir Shah calling the edits “an error of judgment,” but Trump rejected the apology and insisted it was not enough.
Speaking aboard Air Force One while travelling to Florida, Trump said the lawsuit would be filed next week and could seek between $1 billion and $5 billion in damages. He claimed the BBC stitched together parts of his speech that were nearly an hour apart, creating a misleading impression that he encouraged violence during the Capitol riot. He described the edit as “beyond fake” and compared it to election interference.
The BBC has said it will not air the documentary again and is also reviewing new allegations involving edits made on its programme “Newsnight.” The fallout has forced Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness to resign, increasing political pressure on the publicly funded broadcaster. Culture Minister Lisa Nandy called the apology necessary, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced support for an independent BBC but urged the organisation to address its internal problems.
British lawmakers have also questioned whether licence fee funds could be used if the BBC faces a large financial settlement, making the situation even more sensitive as the broadcaster handles public trust and political scrutiny.
