Donald Trump is once again escalating his long-running war with the media, this time by doubling down on threats to sue the BBC even after the broadcaster issued a public apology and accepted responsibility for an editing error.
The former U.S. president said a libel lawsuit against the BBC could be filed within hours, accusing the organization of misrepresenting his words in a Panorama episode related to the January 6 Capitol attack. Trump claimed the broadcaster deliberately altered his speech, alleging that they “put words in my mouth” and even suggesting artificial intelligence may have been involved.
According to Trump, the lawsuit could seek damages ranging anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion.
The controversy centers on how Panorama edited Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech. The program presented a line implying a direct call to violent action, reporting Trump as saying:
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you and we fight.”
However, Trump’s actual words were different. In the original speech, he said supporters would walk to the Capitol to “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” language that did not include an explicit call for violence.
Following criticism, the BBC admitted that it had combined excerpts from different parts of the speech in a way that created a misleading impression. In a formal statement, the broadcaster acknowledged that the edit unintentionally suggested Trump had made a direct appeal for violent action, something it conceded was inaccurate.
The BBC issued an apology, describing the incident as an “error of judgment,” and confirmed that the segment had been reviewed internally. The fallout was significant: BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness both resigned in the wake of the scandal.
Despite the apology and leadership shake-up, Trump insists legal action is still on the table. A BBC spokesperson has since stated that the organization has not received any additional communication from Trump’s legal team and that its position remains unchanged.
The episode has reignited debate over media accountability, political bias, and the responsibility of public broadcasters when covering highly polarizing figures particularly in the context of January 6 and its ongoing political consequences.
As with many Trump-related legal threats, whether this case actually reaches a courtroom remains to be seen. However, the incident underscores how deeply fractured trust between conservative politicians and mainstream media institutions continues to be and how quickly editorial decisions can spiral into international controversy.
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