BBC Vows to Fight Trump's $5 Billion Defamation Claim Over Edited Speech

London:

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has firmly stated its intention to contest any legal proceedings initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding its editing of one of his speeches, with the BBC chair asserting there is no foundation for a defamation lawsuit.

On Friday, Trump indicated he would likely pursue legal action against the BBC this week, seeking damages between $1 billion and $5 billion. The dispute centers around the broadcaster's editing of his January 6, 2021 speech, which combined separate excerpts in a way that suggested he had encouraged violence when his supporters stormed the Capitol.

BBC chair Samir Shah previously issued an apology letter to Trump for the edit, the corporation confirmed on Thursday, while maintaining that they strongly reject any basis for a defamation claim.

In an email to BBC staff on Monday, Shah addressed speculation about potential legal action, including possible costs or settlements, stating: "In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our licence fee payers, the British public."

Shah emphasized, "I want to be very clear with you - our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this."

The controversy stems from a documentary produced by a third party that aired in Britain prior to the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. The program showed Trump telling supporters "we're going to walk down to the Capitol" and we "fight like hell" - the latter comment being from a different part of his speech. In reality, Trump had stated that supporters would "cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women".

The editing issue came to light after the Daily Telegraph published a leaked internal BBC report. This report, authored by an independent adviser, contained broader criticisms of BBC news coverage, including allegations of anti-Israel bias in BBC Arabic and imbalanced reporting on transgender issues. The controversy led to the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.

According to Trump's lawyers, as stated in a letter viewed by Reuters, the edit caused the president "overwhelming reputational and financial harm." They indicated plans to file the lawsuit in Florida rather than Britain, where the one-year limitation period for defamation cases has expired.

Legal experts note that Trump will face stricter legal standards in the United States due to constitutional protections of free speech.

The BBC is expected to argue that the program was neither broadcast nor available on its streaming service in the U.S., meaning Florida voters could not have viewed it. Additionally, the corporation will likely challenge the claim of reputational damage by pointing out Trump's subsequent election victory, and maintain that the edit was not maliciously intended.