US President Donald Trump has issued a legal threat against the BBC over its editing of a 2021 speech delivered on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol, calling the broadcaster’s portrayal “false and defamatory.” The BBC has admitted the edit was an “error of judgement.”
Trump’s legal team has given the BBC until 14 November to retract its Panorama documentary or face a lawsuit demanding at least US$1 billion ($1.5 billion). The documentary spliced together two separate excerpts of Trump’s speech, creating the impression he was inciting the January 6 riot.
The controversy has plunged the BBC into crisis, leading to the resignations of Director-General Tim Davie and Chief Executive of News Deborah Turness. BBC Chair Samir Shah apologised for the editing error on Monday but denied that the broadcaster suffers from systemic bias. He also confirmed the BBC is reviewing how to respond to Trump’s legal threat.
The row began after a leaked internal report criticised the BBC’s coverage, including the Trump speech, which aired shortly before the November 2024 US presidential election. The report also highlighted concerns over the broadcaster’s reporting on the Israel-Gaza conflict and transgender issues.
Shah acknowledged that the way the speech was edited created the impression of a direct call for violence, stating in a letter to politicians: “The BBC would like to apologise for that error of judgement.” Trump’s lawyers argue the BBC violated Florida defamation law by deliberately omitting facts and presenting clips in a misleading way.
While defamation cases are typically hard for public figures in the US, as they must prove that false information was knowingly published, Trump has recently settled similar lawsuits with media outlets including CBS and ABC News. Shah insisted that, despite the criticism, the BBC did not try to hide allegations of bias or ignore internal concerns, describing claims of systemic bias as “wrong.”
Davie will remain in his post for the next few months while the BBC searches for a replacement.