US President Donald Trump has filed a high-stakes $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC in a Florida federal court, claiming the British broadcaster intentionally misrepresented his speech ahead of the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack.
Trump’s legal complaint centres on a Panorama documentary aired in October 2024, which he alleges spliced together separate sections of his speech in a way that falsely implied he incited violence at the US Capitol. According to the lawsuit, the documentary omitted portions of his remarks that called for peaceful protest, creating a misleading narrative with “defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious” content.
The lawsuit, filed on 16 December 2025, seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation and a further $5 billion for alleged violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, amounting to at least $10 billion in total damages. Trump’s legal team argues this distortion caused him significant reputational and financial harm.
Trump has described the BBC’s actions as effectively putting “words in my mouth”, and suggested the edit was so misleading that it resembled artificial manipulation. He has previously warned he would pursue legal action after the broadcaster refused to pay his earlier compensation demand following its public apology.
The Panorama episode, Trump: A Second Chance?, aired just days before the 2024 US presidential election and focused on Trump’s role in the events of 6 January 2021. Critics of the lawsuit note that the programme was not broadcast in the United States; the BBC says it will defend itself and contends there is no legal basis for a defamation claim, though it has apologised for the “error of judgment” in editing the footage.
The controversy already triggered resignations of top BBC executives earlier in 2025, including Director-General Tim Davie and the head of BBC News. UK political figures including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey have urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to support the BBC’s independence in the face of international legal pressure.
Legal experts highlight challenges Trump faces in a US defamation case involving a public figure, including the need to prove “actual malice” — knowledge of falsehood or reckless disregard for the truth — a high bar in American courts. Observers say the lawsuit opens an unusual transatlantic legal front over media coverage and political narratives tied to the legacy of the Capitol attack.
