On November 11, 2025, American President Donald Trump (Trump) issued a warning to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), threatening legal action over the incorrect editing by the news organization of his speech on the events at the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. The BBC admitted on Monday (November 10) that it was a “judgment error”.
According to a letter sent on Sunday (9th), Trump’s lawyers stated that the BBC must retract their documentary by November 14, or face a lawsuit of “no less than” $1 billion.
The documentary aired on the BBC flagship program “Panorama”, splicing together two separate clips of Trump speaking to create the impression that he was inciting the January 6, 2021 riots. The lawyers argue that this editing constitutes “defamatory fake news” and has violated Florida libel law.
The complete version of Trump’s speech shows that he was urging his supporters to march to the Capitol building peacefully and patriotically at the time.
In a letter shared with Fox, Trump’s lawyer pointed out, “Should (BBC) fail to comply with the request, President Trump will have no choice but to seek all available legal rights and remedies to rectify the significant economic and reputational harm caused by BBC to him.”
This incident has led to widespread criticism of the BBC news department and put the broadcasting company in crisis. Two top executives – CEO Tim Davie and News Director Deborah Turness – resigned on Sunday.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah apologized on Monday for the editing of the video. He acknowledged that the editing of the speech did indeed give the impression of a direct call to violence.
In a letter to lawmakers, he stated, “BBC apologizes for this judgment error.” However, he denied the presence of systematic bias in the BBC’s news reporting. Shah mentioned that BBC is considering its response to the legal challenge.
A BBC spokesperson told “The Hill” on Monday, “We will review this letter and respond directly at the appropriate time.”
Under American law, public figures like Trump often find it challenging to win defamation cases because they must prove that the defendant knew or should have known the information was false but still published it.
However, several American media companies including CBS and ABC News have recently reached settlements with President Trump over lawsuits he brought against them.
(Reference: Reuters)