Trump to Sue BBC for Up to $5 Billion Over Edited January 6 Speech

President Donald Trump announced Friday he plans to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion, following the British broadcaster’s admission that it edited footage of his January 6, 2021, speech in a way that distorted his message and falsely suggested he incited the Capitol unrest.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said the lawsuit could be filed as early as next week and blasted the BBC’s conduct as “corrupt,” “beyond fake,” and “impossible to believe.”

“They changed the words coming out of my mouth,” Trump said. “I think I have to do that [sue], I mean, they’ve even admitted that they cheated.”

At the center of the controversy is a BBC “Panorama” documentary that spliced together three separate video segments from Trump’s January 6 speech, giving the false impression that the former president was inciting violence a claim Trump and his legal team say is defamatory and politically motivated.

Trump’s legal team had previously demanded a retraction, a public apology, and damages of “no less than $1 billion.” Although the BBC issued an apology on Thursday, calling the edit an “error of judgement,” the corporation refused to retract the program or accept liability, prompting Trump to escalate legal action.

• Two top BBC executives Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness resigned this week amid backlash.

• British lawmakers are now questioning whether public license fee money could be used to settle any future legal damages.

• The BBC is facing fresh allegations of biased editing in another program, “Newsnight,” triggering an internal investigation.

Trump compared the edited speech to election interference, telling GB News: “Fake news was a great term, except it’s not strong enough. This is beyond fake — this is corrupt.”

Despite claiming the edit was not intentional, the BBC’s apology fell flat. “When you say it’s unintentional, I guess if it’s unintentional, you don’t apologize,” Trump added.

British Culture Minister Lisa Nandy called the apology “right and necessary,” while Prime Minister Keir Starmer whom Trump described as “very embarrassed” by the scandal — attempted to distance his government from the broadcaster’s blunder, calling for the BBC to “get its house in order.”

But perhaps most troubling is this: the BBC’s manipulated footage wasn’t just about bad journalism it was about shaping political narrative. And if the footage had gone unchallenged, it would’ve cemented a false historical record on one of the most consequential events in modern American politics.

This isn’t just a media scandal. It’s a global case study in institutional bias, targeting a political figure who continues to threaten the establishment status quo on both sides of the Atlantic.

Trump is right to fight back. And if the BBC truly believes in transparency, it should welcome the legal process instead of hiding behind vague apologies and bureaucratic spin.

Americans and the world deserve to know the truth.

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