Trump Announces Legal Action Against BBC Over Misleading Edit of Capitol Riot Speech
Former President Donald Trump has declared his intention to sue the BBC next week for a sum between $1 billion and $5 billion. This follows the BBC's apology for a misleading edit of his speech aired on Panorama, which focused on the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.
The controversy contributed to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and Deborah Turness. The BBC has acknowledged the error, apologised publicly, stated that the edition in question would not be broadcast again, and maintained that there is no legal basis for the lawsuit. It did not, however, offer any compensation.
Trump disputed the edit, which involved selectively using clips of his speech that misrepresented his full message. The full speech also included phrases such as “we fight. We fight like hell.”
The Capitol attack resulted in five deaths, with some 2,500 protesters entering the building. Over 1,000 of those involved have been sentenced, and Trump later issued pardons to all individuals implicated.
Trump has not yet spoken to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the dispute but plans to call him over the weekend.
Separate from the BBC matter, Trump has been involved in related settlements with other platforms, including YouTube agreeing to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit, with those funds intended for a White House ballroom, and a Facebook settlement designated for his presidential library.
BBC chair Samir Shah extended an apology to the White House, and UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy described the BBC's apology as appropriate and necessary. Notably, a similar misleading edit was discovered in 2022 during a Newsnight broadcast.
