Trump Threatens $5bn Lawsuit Against BBC Over Edited Jan. 6 Video

By Staff, Agencies

United States President Donald Trump says he intends to sue the BBC for up to $5bn after the broadcaster admitted it incorrectly edited a video of his January 6, 2021 speech, though the network insists his legal threat lacks merit.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Friday, Trump said, “We will sue them for anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars, probably sometime next week… They have even admitted that they cheated.”

The dispute centers on a Panorama documentary that stitched together three separate segments of Trump’s remarks from the day his supporters stormed the US Capitol. According to Trump’s legal team, the edited sequence falsely implied he was inciting the riot, causing “overwhelming reputational and financial harm.” Lawyers sent the BBC a letter earlier this week demanding an apology and compensation.

The scandal has plunged the BBC into its most serious internal crisis in decades, triggering the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness, and prompting intense political scrutiny in the UK.

Trump claimed the controversy had angered the British public, saying it “shows the BBC is fake news.” He added that he planned to raise the issue with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he said was “very embarrassed.”

In an interview with GB News, Trump accused the broadcaster of misconduct, calling the edit “impossible to believe” and comparing it to election interference. “Fake news was a great term, except it’s not strong enough. This is beyond fake, this is corrupt,” he said.

The BBC has apologized, with Chair Samir Shah issuing a personal apology to the White House and telling British lawmakers the edit was “an error of judgement.” UK Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said the apology was “right and necessary.”

Despite those statements, Trump said the apology was insufficient, insisting the broadcaster spliced comments made nearly an hour apart to create a false narrative. “It’s incredible to depict the idea that I had given this aggressive speech which led to riots,” he said.