President Donald Trump opened an international front in his battle against media coverage he believes to be false or unfair on Monday when he filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC using manipulated speech clips that appeared to show he gave the order for supporters to attack the US Capitol. He is requesting $5 billion in damages for each of the two counts in the case.
Trump claimed that the publicly owned broadcaster in Britain had defamed him by cutting together portions of a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, in which he urged followers to march on the Capitol and another in which he said, “fight like hell.” He advocated for nonviolent protest in a portion that was left out.
The BBC has stated that it has no plans to repeat the documentary on any of its platforms amid one of the most significant crises in its 103-year history. Shortly before the 2024 presidential election, the BBC’s “Panorama” documentary presented the disputed tape. This caused a PR disaster for the station, leading to the resignation of two of its most senior personnel.
According to Trump’s attorneys, the BBC severely damaged his reputation and finances. As part of a larger probe into political bias at the publicly funded broadcaster, the documentary came under review after an external standards adviser leaked a BBC note raising questions about its production.
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