Trump sues BBC for $10 billion

Trump filed the suit in a federal court in Miami, accusing the network of defaming him by selectively editing parts of his speech before January 6, 2021, which preceded the attack by his supporters on the Capitol.

In his complaint, Trump argues that the BBC juxtaposed his call for a march to the Capitol with another part of his speech in which he said “fight like hell,” while omitting portions where he advocated for peaceful protest.

The US president claims that the BBC’s actions constitute defamation and violate Florida law prohibiting deceptive and unfair business practices. He is seeking $5 billion in damages for each count, totaling $10 billion.

Trump’s filing notes that, despite a formal apology from the BBC, the network has shown no evidence of genuine remorse or meaningful institutional changes to prevent similar journalistic abuses in the future.

Previously, the BBC stated that it apologized for a program that included edited portions of Trump’s speech that were considered misleading, but it rejected Trump’s demand for $1 billion in damages.

The BBC explained: “While we deeply regret the way the video was edited, there is no basis for a claim of defamation, and we completely reject this allegation.”