Trump Threatens Suit

Trump threatened to sue the BBC for at least $1B over the broadcaster's editing of a speech he gave before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Context

The BBC aired a documentary called "Trump: A Second Chance?" in October 2024, one week before the US presidential election. The program included footage from Trump's January 6, 2021, speech to supporters as Congress certified the 2020 election results. 

The BBC edited together two parts of Trump's remarks that were originally made about 50 minutes apart, creating what critics said was a misleading impression that Trump directly called for violent action at the Capitol. The edited version spliced Trump saying "We're going to walk down to the Capitol" with a later quote where he said, "And I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

Leadership Crisis

Last week, a leaked memo showed a BBC adviser criticizing the network’s alleged left-wing coverage, including that clip and handling of Gaza and transgender issues. A BBC adviser wrote in the memo that he had raised his concerns with the BBC, but the BBC had failed to act.