Trump Threatens Legal Action Against BBC Over Edited Panorama Clip
Former US President Donald Trump has announced plans to take legal action against the BBC over how his January 6, 2021 speech was edited by the Panorama programme. The broadcaster has apologised but refused to provide financial compensation.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Trump said:
«We’ll sue them for anywhere between $1 bn and $5 bn, probably sometime next week.»
He added that he felt obliged to act to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Disputed Panorama Edit Sparks Controversy
The controversy arose after the BBC released an edited version of Trump’s speech, which it admitted gave «the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.» The broadcaster said the clip would not be aired again. Trump’s lawyers had threatened a $1 bn lawsuit unless the BBC issued a retraction, apology and compensation.
Trump described the edit as «egregious» and claimed it was worse than a previous dispute with CBS over an interview with his 2024 election opponent Kamala Harris. In that case, Paramount Global settled a legal dispute for $16 mln earlier this year.
The Panorama programme, aired in October 2024, combined excerpts from different points in Trump’s speech, creating the impression that he had directly encouraged supporters to storm the Capitol. During the original address, he said:
«We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,» followed 50 minutes later by: «And we fight. We fight like hell.»
The documentary showed the lines as continuous:
«We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.»
BBC Defends Itself Against Legal Claims
The controversy led to the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness. In a statement, the BBC said the edit unintentionally gave the wrong impression, but argued there was no legal basis for a defamation claim.
The BBC cited five reasons for rejecting Trump’s claim. First, the programme was not distributed on US channels. Second, it argued the edit caused no harm, as Trump was subsequently re-elected. Third, the edit was made for brevity and without malice. Fourth, the 12-second clip was part of an hour-long programme including many pro-Trump voices. Finally, political speech on matters of public interest is strongly protected under US defamation law.
A BBC spokesperson said the chair, Samir Shah, had personally apologised to Trump and the White House, reaffirming regret for the clip’s misleading impression but maintaining that there was no legal basis for compensation.
As of Friday evening, no lawsuit had been formally filed in federal or state courts in Florida.
