US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he arrives at Palm Seashore Worldwide Airport on Oct. 31, 2025 in West Palm Seashore, Florida.
Samuel Corum | Getty Pictures
U.S. President Donald Trump is as soon as once more on the warpath in opposition to a serious world media firm, having threatened the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit this week.
The British public broadcaster discovered itself in sizzling water after airing a documentary wherein Trump’s Jan. 6 speech in 2021 was edited to make it appear like he was explicitly encouraging his supporters to assault the U.S. Capitol.
As issues over the documentary got here to mild, the BBC went into disaster mode, with each its director common and head of reports resigning. In the meantime, BBC Chair Samir Shah mentioned the company was assessing the “very critical allegations” and apologized for an “error of judgment” over the edit.
The BBC on Thursday apologized to Trump and agreed to not present the documentary once more on any of its platforms. It reportedly rejected the U.S. president’s name for compensation, nonetheless. Trump advised Fox Information this week that he has an “obligation” to sue the BBC.
Here is what is going on on and why it issues:
How did we get right here?
In October 2024, the BBC aired a Panorama documentary referred to as “Trump: A Second Likelihood?” wherein it confirmed Trump addressing supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
Within the Panorama program, Trump was proven saying, “We’ll stroll right down to the Capitol … and I will be there with you. And we combat. We combat like hell.” The edit mixed two separate components of his speech, though this was not flagged to viewers, making it appear like he had explicitly instructed his supporters to riot in a single assertion.
That was not the case as Trump had mentioned, “We’ll stroll right down to the Capitol, and we’ll cheer on our courageous senators and congressmen and girls,” and solely a lot later (in truth, round 54 minutes later) he mentioned, “and I will be there with you. And we combat. We combat like hell.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks throughout a “Save America Rally” close to the White Home in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
The speech grew to become notorious as Trump supporters descended on the Capitol after the tackle, with skirmishes breaking out with police and plenty of protesters getting into the constructing. On the time, Trump urged these concerned within the riots to “go house now.”
The documentary would not seem to have triggered a fuss on the time, however the modifying course of got here to mild when a memo written by ex-BBC adviser Michael Prescott was leaked to the press wherein he criticized editorial requirements on the BBC.
The Panorama documentary within the highlight was not made by the BBC, however by a third-party manufacturing firm referred to as October Movies. Nonetheless, questions have been requested as to why it was reviewed and authorized for broadcasting. The documentary is now not accessible to view on the BBC iPlayer.
What does Trump need?
A disaster engulfed the BBC as information of the rogue edit emerged. Director Common Tim Davie and Head of Information Deborah Turness resigned. However that has not stopped the scandal snowballing with questions centering on the BBC’s editorial requirements amid allegations of institutional bias.
On Tuesday, the BBC issued a press release wherein it mentioned, “we settle for our edit created the impression we have been displaying a single steady part of the speech, fairly than excerpts from two completely different factors within the speech.”
“Consequently, this seemed that President Trump had made a direct name for violent motion. The BBC want to apologise for that error of judgement,” it mentioned, including that “there was no intention to mislead.”
A view of the BBC constructing as BBC Director-Common Tim Davie and Head of Information Deborah Turness have resigned after revelations {that a} documentary about U.S. President Donald Trump contained edited and deceptive footage associated to the 2021 Capitol riot, in London, United States on November 10, 2025.
Rasid Necati Aslim | Anadolu | Getty Pictures
Trump’s authorized workforce wrote to the BBC, demanding that it instantly retract what it mentioned have been “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements” in regards to the president within the documentary. The letter, which was printed in full by Sky Information, mentioned the airing of this system had “triggered President Trump to undergo overwhelming monetary and reputational hurt.”
It warned that Trump would sue for $1 billion in damages until the company issued a “full and truthful retraction,” apologized and compensated the president “for the hurt triggered.”
The letter, signed by Trump’s lawyer Alejandro Brito, mentioned the BBC has till 5 p.m. EST on Friday Nov. 14 to adjust to the president’s calls for, in any other case, “he can be left with no various however to implement his authorized and equitable rights … together with by submitting authorized motion for a minimum of $1,000,000,000 (One Billion {Dollars}) in damages.”
“The BBC is on discover,” the letter concluded.
In his first feedback on the matter, the president advised Fox Information on Monday that his Jan. 6 speech had been “butchered” within the Panorama edit. When requested if he would go forward with the lawsuit, Trump mentioned, “Nicely, I feel I’ve an obligation to do it, as a result of you’ll be able to’t get individuals, you’ll be able to’t permit individuals to do this.”
What occurs subsequent?
The BBC on Thursday issued a press release on its Corrections and Clarifications web page, saying it had reviewed the Panorama documentary following criticism over how Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 speech was edited.
“We settle for that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we have been displaying a single steady part of the speech, fairly than excerpts from completely different factors within the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct name for violent motion,” the BBC mentioned.
“The BBC want to apologise to President Trump for that error of judgement,” it added.
A BBC spokesperson has mentioned that whereas the company “sincerely regrets” the way wherein the documentary clip was edited, they “strongly disagree there’s a foundation for a defamation declare.”
BBC Information has reported that, “if Trump sues in Florida, he would additionally want to ascertain the BBC Panorama documentary was accessible there.” There seems to be no proof to this point to recommend it has been proven within the U.S.
The British authorities has defended the company, nonetheless, with Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy wanting to tell apart between “editorial failings” and the BBC’s critics who, she mentioned, have been ” launching a sustained assault on the establishment itself.”
U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer additionally commented on the furore on Wednesday, telling lawmakers he believed in a “robust and unbiased BBC.”
It isn’t the primary time Trump has pursued authorized motion in opposition to large media organisations, with lawsuits launched in opposition to the Wall Avenue Journal, CNN, CBS, ABC and New York Instances in recent times, with some circumstances settled and others dismissed.
— CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report.
