Trump Sues BBC Over Jan. 6 Speech Edit
Washington, D.C. – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), alleging defamation and deceptive trade practices. The lawsuit was initiated on Monday against the British public service broadcaster.
The 33-page complaint asserts that the BBC broadcast a "false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump." It further characterizes the broadcast as "a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence" the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Specifically, the lawsuit accuses the BBC of "splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump's speech on January 6, 2021," stating this was done to "intentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said."
Background on the Allegation
The BBC had previously issued an apology to Mr. Trump last month concerning the edit of the January 6 speech. However, the broadcaster denied claims of defamation following Mr. Trump's threats of legal action. Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC, described the incident as an "error of judgment," which subsequently led to the resignations of the BBC's top executive and its head of news.
Mr. Trump's January 6, 2021, speech occurred prior to his supporters breaching the U.S. Capitol. This event took place as Congress was in the process of certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, a result which Mr. Trump had publicly contested.
The BBC documentary, titled "Trump: A Second Chance?", was broadcast days before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. It reportedly combined three quotes from two different sections of the 2021 speech, which were delivered approximately an hour apart. The resulting edited segment appeared to show Mr. Trump urging supporters to march with him and "fight like hell." The lawsuit highlights that a portion where Mr. Trump encouraged peaceful demonstration was omitted from this edited segment.
Trump's Statements and Legal Filing Details
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Trump publicly stated he was suing the BBC "for putting words in my mouth." During an appearance in the Oval Office, he elaborated, "They actually put terrible words in my mouth having to do with Jan. 6 that I didn't say, and they're beautiful words, that I said, right? They're beautiful words, talking about patriotism and all of the good things that I said. They didn't say that, but they put terrible words."
The lawsuit was filed in Florida. Legal experts have noted potential challenges for a U.S.-based case, considering that the documentary was not directly broadcast within the United States, and deadlines for bringing such a case in British courts had expired over a year prior. However, the lawsuit asserts that U.S. audiences could access the BBC's original content, including the "Panorama" series which featured the documentary, via the subscription streaming platform BritBox.
The BBC, a 103-year-old organization, functions as a national institution funded by an annual license fee. It operates under a charter requiring impartiality and is subject to frequent scrutiny from various political viewpoints.