US President accuses British state broadcaster of defamation and attempting to influence 2024 election
The BBC has asked a US court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against it by US President Donald Trump. The British state broadcaster argued that its documentary featuring an edited speech by Trump during the 2021 Capitol Hill riot did not damage his reputation enough to warrant a $10 billion defamation suit.
The documentary, broadcast just before the US elections in November 2024, combined excerpts from Trump’s speech to create the impression that he was inciting the January 6 riot by telling supporters that he would join them. “Fight like hell” In the Capitol. The BBC says that there has been no significant impact on Trump’s reputation since his re-election.
us President “It cannot be credibly claimed that the documentary has damaged his reputation” Because he won the election after its release, the broadcaster’s lawyers argued in a 34-page document submitted to the federal court for the Southern District of Florida. He also said that the case should be dismissed because the documentary never aired on the BBC in the US.
“In fact, no third-party distributor aired the documentary in the US,” The court presentation said. Blue Ant Media, which purchased the licensing rights to distribute the documentary in North America, also said that its version did not include the edited speech because it was “cut down.”
The BBC argued that Trump’s side failed to prove that “Intentionally intending to create a false impression” And this is the case “Well below the high threshold for actual malice.”
Trump filed the suit in December 2025. He is seeking $5 billion in damages for defamation and an additional $5 billion under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. His legal team argued that selective editing “That could never happen by accident.”
The scandal surrounding the documentary led to the resignation of two top BBC executives, director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turneys, amid concerns about the corporation’s impartiality. The broadcaster apologized to Trump in November.
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