WASHINGTON (BN24)— President Donald Trump said he intends to move forward with a lawsuit seeking between $1 billion and $5 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of misleading viewers by editing a clip of his remarks in a Panorama documentary.
The dispute stems from a segment that Trump said falsely portrayed him as encouraging violence leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump demanded a full retraction, an immediate apology, and compensation from the BBC, giving the broadcaster until Friday to respond to a $1 billion legal threat over the edit.
The BBC issued an apology on Friday, calling the edit an “error of judgment” and announcing that the programme would not be aired again “in this form on any BBC platforms.” However, the broadcaster maintained that Trump’s claims of defamation lacked merit. “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree that there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the statement said.
After the BBC declined to meet his full demands, Trump escalated his rhetoric in an interview with GB News. He said he felt an “obligation” to take legal action and argued that pursuing the case was necessary to prevent similar incidents. “I’m not looking to get into lawsuits, but I think I have an obligation to do it. This was so egregious,” Trump said. “If you don’t do it, you don’t stop it from happening again with other people.”
Speaking later to reporters outside the White House, Trump reiterated that he intended to formally seek damages. “We’ll sue them from anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week,” he said, adding, “I think I have to do it.”
The BBC has not indicated whether it will issue any further response beyond its initial apology and statement disputing the basis for Trump’s threatened defamation case.
