US President Donald Trump has filed a five-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit over an edited January 2021 speech. He filed the case in Florida, accusing the UK public broadcaster of defamation and violations of trade practices law. Court filings outline the claims and allege deliberate editorial misconduct. The organisation apologised last month for the edit but rejected compensation demands and denied any legal basis for defamation.
Trump’s legal team accused editors of intentionally altering his words. The lawsuit described the edit as malicious and deceptive. It argued the changes aimed to damage Trump’s reputation. The broadcaster has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit.
Timing of broadcast sparks legal action
Trump announced plans to sue after the documentary aired in the United Kingdom last month. The programme appeared ahead of the 2024 US presidential election and examined events connected to 6 January 2021. Trump told reporters he felt compelled to act and accused the broadcaster of changing the words he spoke.
He said the edit misrepresented his message and misled viewers. Trump argued the programme crossed a serious legal line by reshaping his remarks.
Edited speech lies at heart of dispute
Trump delivered the speech on 6 January 2021 before unrest later erupted at the US Capitol. He told supporters they would walk to the Capitol and cheer on senators and members of Congress. More than fifty minutes later, he said, “we fight like hell” during a separate section of the address.
The documentary merged those statements into a single clip. The edit linked the walk to the Capitol with fighting language. Trump argued the sequence falsely suggested he encouraged violence.
Admitted error triggers resignations
The broadcaster later acknowledged the edit created a mistaken impression of a direct call for violent action. It still rejected claims that the programme defamed Trump. In November, a leaked internal memo criticised how editors handled the speech.
The controversy prompted senior resignations. Director general Tim Davie stepped down, followed by head of news Deborah Turness. The memo highlighted significant failures in editorial judgment and oversight.
Defence focuses on harm and distribution
Before Trump filed suit, lawyers for the broadcaster issued a detailed response. They denied malicious intent and argued the programme caused no harm. They noted Trump later won re-election.
They also stated the organisation did not distribute the documentary in the United States. The programme never aired on US channels and remained restricted to UK viewers via a domestic streaming platform.
Claims of overseas access prompt political reaction
Trump’s lawsuit challenged that position by citing agreements with external distributors. He pointed to a deal with a third-party media company holding rights outside the UK. Neither party has publicly responded to those claims.
The lawsuit also claimed Florida residents may have accessed the programme using VPN services or the streaming platform BritBox. It cited increased VPN usage after the broadcast as evidence of likely access.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey criticised Trump’s lawsuit and urged the prime minister to intervene. He said Keir Starmer must defend the public broadcaster and protect licence fee payers from financial risk. He called the legal action unacceptable and outrageous.
