President Donald Trump has taken legal action against the BBC, filing a $10 billion lawsuit in federal court in Miami, Florida.
Trump is accusing the British broadcaster of defamation and deceptive practices over the way it edited his January 6, 2021 speech in a Panorama documentary.
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The complaint, submitted on Monday evening, claims the BBC spliced together segments of Trump’s speech given to supporters before the U.S. Capitol was stormed.
According to him, the editing created a misleading impression that he incited violence. Trump’s legal team says the edited clip omitted key parts of the address.
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They also claim they removed parts in which he called for peaceful protest, instead joining separate remarks, reportedly delivered almost an hour apart, to make it seem he urged aggressive action.
Trump is seeking $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
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He argues that the altered portrayal caused substantial reputational and financial harm and amounted to a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory and malicious depiction” of him.
The lawsuit centers on the BBC’s Panorama episode “Trump: A Second Chance?”, which aired in the United Kingdom just before the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Trump and his attorneys contend the timing and content of the documentary were politically motivated and aimed at influencing voters’ views.
The BBC has already acknowledged that the edit gave a “mistaken impression” of Trump’s remarks and issued an apology.
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The corporation’s chairman claims it was an error of judgment — a controversy that contributed to the resignations of the broadcaster’s director-general and head of news.
The broadcaster insists there is no legal basis for a defamation claim. In response to the lawsuit, the BBC said it would defend the case.
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It argued that the documentary was not broadcast in the U.S. through its primary channels, a point that could affect jurisdiction.
The broadcaster also disputes that the edited segments caused measurable damage, noting that Trump won the 2024 election and increased his vote share in Florida.
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