Former US President Donald Trump has announced he will pursue legal action against the BBC for what he claims could amount to $5 billion following a controversial edit of his speech in a Panorama documentary.
The Editing Controversy
The broadcasting corporation has admitted to an "error of judgement" in its editing of Trump's January 6, 2021 speech, which created the false impression that he directly encouraged supporters to storm the Capitol building. The programme, titled Trump: A Second Chance?, featured a spliced clip that appeared to show Trump telling the crowd: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell."
However, these statements were actually made almost an hour apart during his original address. The BBC has since removed the programme from its platforms and issued a formal apology.
Trump's Legal Threat
In response to the editing controversy, Trump stated: "We'll sue them. We'll sue them for anywhere between a billion (£792m) and five billion dollars (£3.79bn), probably sometime next week." He emphasised that the BBC had "admitted that they cheated" by altering his words.
The former president added: "We have to do it, they've even admitted that they cheated. Not that they couldn't have not done that. They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth."
BBC's Response and Fallout
BBC chairman Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House apologising for the editing of the speech in the Panorama programme. A BBC spokesperson stated: "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim."
The scandal has already prompted significant consequences within the corporation, with BBC director-general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness both resigning on Sunday November 14, 2025.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer commented that the BBC needed to "get their house in order" following the editing controversy.
Legal Challenges Ahead
According to American political scientist Robert Spritzer, the statute of limitations for filing such a substantial lawsuit in Britain has expired, meaning any legal action would likely proceed in American courts where different limitations apply.
Spritzer noted that litigation has been one of Trump's primary strategies for decades, suggesting that "the point is not necessarily to win lawsuits" but to generate favourable publicity and pressure opponents. He characterised such lawsuits as potentially being SLAPP actions - strategic lawsuits against public participation designed to harass and create negative publicity.
The BBC maintains that while the editing was an error, the programme "will not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms." The corporation published a retraction on its website acknowledging that the edit created a mistaken impression about Trump's direct involvement in encouraging violence.
