US President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, alleging defamation and unfair trade practices over an edited clip of his January 6, 2021 speech that featured in a recent documentary.
The legal action stems from a BBC programme aired days before the 2024 US presidential election, which examined Trump&rsquo;s political comeback bid. In the suit, Trump has accused the broadcaster of presenting a &ldquo;false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious&rdquo; portrayal of him, claiming the edit was a deliberate attempt to influence the election outcome.
According to the lawsuit, the BBC allegedly spliced together two separate portions of Trump&rsquo;s speech delivered on January 6, 2021, nearly an hour apart, and presented them as a single continuous statement. Trump contends that this editing distorted the meaning of his remarks and falsely suggested that he incited violence ahead of the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.
The speech in question was delivered shortly before Congress met to certify Joe Biden&rsquo;s victory in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, was stolen from him. In the edited version broadcast by the BBC, Trump appeared to urge supporters to march with him and &ldquo;fight like hell.&rdquo; However, the lawsuit argues that a key portion of the speech, in which Trump called for peaceful demonstration, was omitted.
The controversy centres on an hour-long documentary titled &ldquo;Trump: A Second Chance?&rdquo;, which used selected excerpts from the January 6 address. Trump maintains that combining these excerpts misrepresented his intent and inflamed public perception of his role in the events that followed.
Last month, the BBC issued an apology to Trump over the edit, with its chairman describing it as an &ldquo;error of judgment.&rdquo; However, the broadcaster rejected accusations of defamation. The episode nevertheless triggered internal turmoil, leading to the resignation of senior executives, including the organisation&rsquo;s head of news.
Trump&rsquo;s lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages and marks a significant escalation in the dispute, placing renewed focus on media responsibility, political reporting, and the lasting fallout from the January 6 Capitol unrest.

The BBC had apologised to Trump last month

Trump alleges BBC misedited Jan 6 speech to defame him and influence US elections

Trump sues BBC for $10 bn over Jan 6 edit

Trump alleges BBC misedited Jan 6 speech to defame him and influence US elections

December 16, 2025 | 16:33 IST