NEW YORK / LONDON: US President Donald Trump has announced that he will take legal action against the BBC over the way his 6 January 2021 speech was edited for a Panorama documentary, saying the edit falsely suggested he directly called for violent action.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he planned to file a lawsuit “sometime next week,” seeking between $1 billion and $5 billion in damages.
The BBC has apologised for the edit, acknowledging it created a “mistaken impression,” but said it would not pay compensation. The corporation issued the apology after Trump’s lawyers warned they would sue unless the BBC retracted the programme, apologised formally, and paid $1 billion in damages.
Trump said he felt he had “no choice” but to pursue legal action. “They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth,” he claimed. He added that although he had not discussed the matter with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Starmer had asked to speak with him, and he planned to return the call over the weekend.
A review of public court records on Friday evening showed no lawsuit had yet been filed in federal or state courts in Florida.
In a separate interview recorded earlier on Saturday, Trump said he had an “obligation” to sue the broadcaster so similar incidents would not recur. He described the edit as “egregious” and “worse than the Kamala thing,” referring to a previous dispute with CBS over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, paid $16 million earlier this year to settle that case.
What the BBC Edited
A report published by the BBC said the controversy stems from a Panorama documentary aired in October 2024. The programme spliced together two separate lines from Trump’s 6 January speech — “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol” and “We fight like hell” — which were originally delivered more than 50 minutes apart. The edit gave the appearance that they were part of a continuous call to action.
The BBC said the edit was intended to shorten a lengthy speech, not mislead viewers. However, critics argued that the juxtaposition dramatically altered the meaning of Trump’s words. The fallout led to the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness.
BBC’s Defence
In its statement published in the Corrections and Clarifications section, the BBC said it had reviewed the programme following public concerns. While apologising for the error, it argued there was no legal basis for a defamation claim.
In a letter to Trump’s lawyers, the corporation laid out five key arguments:
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The BBC did not distribute the programme in the United States and lacked the rights to do so.
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Trump suffered no harm, as he was re-elected shortly afterward.
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The edit was not malicious and was made purely for length.
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The clip was not intended to stand alone but was part of a one-hour programme featuring multiple voices supportive of Trump.
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Political speech and matters of public concern receive strong protection under US defamation law.
BBC Chair Samir Shah also sent a personal letter to the White House apologising for the edit but reiterating the corporation’s position that no defamation occurred.
