US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC, alleging the broadcaster’s Panorama documentary portrayed him in a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious” manner, according to Sky News.
The complaint centres on the editing of clips from Mr Trump’s speech on January 6, 2021 – the day his supporters stormed the US Capitol – which were spliced together to suggest he told the crowd he would march with them and “fight like hell”, Sky News reports.
The edited footage appeared in the Panorama programme Trump: A Second Chance?, aired a week before the 2024 US presidential election.
Mr Trump is seeking at least $5bn in damages and filed the suit in a Florida court, Sky News understands.
The controversy began earlier this year when a leaked memo raised issues with the editing of the clips.
Following the leak, BBC chair Samir Shah apologised for an “error of judgement”, stating the editing gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action”, as reported by Sky News.
The episode contributed to the resignations of BBC director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.
Sky News previously reported that the BBC outlined five key reasons in a letter to Mr Trump’s lawyers explaining why it believed there was no valid basis for a defamation claim.
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