US President Donald Trump is planning to sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for up to $5 billion over an edited video of his speech that he claims was misleading and damaged his reputation. The controversy surrounds a documentary aired on the BBC’s “Panorama” program, which spliced together parts of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech, creating the impression he was inciting violence before the Capitol riot.
Trump’s lawyers had initially demanded a retraction, apology, and compensation from the BBC, but the broadcaster has refused to pay damages, saying it sincerely regrets the edit but strongly disagrees with Trump’s defamation claim. The BBC’s chairman, Samir Shah, sent a personal apology to Trump, acknowledging the edit was an “error of judgment”.
Trump has vowed to take the BBC to court, stating, “We’ll sue them for anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week. I think I have to do it. They’ve even admitted that they cheated”. The lawsuit is expected to be filed in the coming days, amidst a heated debate over the BBC’s impartiality and editorial standards.
