US President Donald Trump has dragged the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to court, demanding $10 billion in damages over a documentary he says deliberately misrepresented his words ahead of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.
Trump’s legal team argues that the broadcasting company edited and rearranged portions of his speech to supporters in a way that falsely suggested he encouraged an attack on the Capitol, an allegation they say is both defamatory and politically motivated.
The lawsuit was filed yesterday after the American president alleged that BBC of manipulated his speech, claiming the broadcaster may have used artificial intelligence to alter the footage.
The case was lodged at a federal court in Miami, Florida, and centres on a documentary aired on the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, Panorama, shortly before the 2024 US presidential election.
According to the filing, the Republican leader is seeking no less than $5 billion in damages on each of two counts defamation and violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act accusing the broadcaster of attempting to influence the election outcome to his detriment.
“The BBC intentionally and maliciously doctored President Trump’s speech in a calculated effort to interfere in the presidential election,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said, describing the broadcaster as “formerly respected and now disgraced.” The spokesperson also accused the BBC of maintaining a long-standing bias against Trump in its coverage.
The BBC has rejected the defamation claims, though its chairman, Samir Shah, has issued a letter of apology and admitted the corporation should have responded more swiftly after the editing issue was flagged internally. The controversy had earlier plunged the broadcaster into crisis, culminating in the resignation of its director-general and its top news executive.
The lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal battles Trump has pursued against major media organisations in recent years, several of which have ended in high-value settlements.
