Web Desk: US President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation and engaging in deceptive and unfair business practices. The legal action, submitted Monday in a Florida court, alleges the network misrepresented his January speech in a documentary aired just before the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Claims of defamation and election interference
In the 33-page complaint, Trump asserts that the BBC produced a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory and malicious portrayal” of him, framing it as an attempt to sway the upcoming election. The lawsuit contends that the broadcaster edited separate portions of his speech into a single segment to distort his intended message.
The suit seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and another $5 billion for unfair trade practices. “They put terrible words in my mouth about January six that I never said,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office appearance. “They ignored the positive things I said, about patriotism and other good messages and replaced them with false statements.”
BBC responds
The BBC said it would defend itself in court but declined further comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings. The publicly funded broadcaster had previously issued an apology to Trump over the editing error, with chairman Samir Shah describing it as an “error of judgment.” The controversy led to the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and head of news.
Documentary details
The hour-long documentary, titled “Trump: A Second Chance?,” aired days before the 2024 election and included spliced quotes from Trump’s January speech. The edits created the impression that he encouraged supporters to “fight like hell,” while removing sections where he explicitly called for peaceful demonstration.
Legal hurdles
Trump filed the case in Florida after the window to bring claims in British courts expired over a year ago. Legal experts note potential challenges in pursuing a U.S. case, as the documentary was not officially broadcast in the country. The lawsuit argues that Americans could access the content through the subscription platform BritBox or virtual private networks.
Read more: We were completely defeated on the first day of Operation Sindoor, admits former Maharashtra CM
