U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a massive $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC.
The legal action, filed on Monday, December 15, was described by Trump as a response to what he called a deeply misleading portrayal of his January 6, 2021 speech.
According to court filings, the lawsuit targets a 2024 BBC documentary that allegedly edited Trump’s speech in a way that suggested he directly encouraged the Capitol riot.
Trump reacted strongly to the documentary, insisting that his words were distorted. “I’m suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth, literally,” Trump told reporters earlier on Monday.
“They actually put terrible words in my mouth having to do with January 6th that I didn’t say.”
The 33-page lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Miami. It accuses the BBC of defamation and claims the documentary was produced to influence public opinion ahead of the 2024 U.S. election.
Moreover, Trump’s legal team described the film, titled “Trump: A Second Chance,” as “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the election.
The lawsuit seeks $5 billion in damages for defamation. In addition, another $5 billion is being demanded under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Therefore, the case stands as one of the largest media-related lawsuits in recent history.
At the center of the dispute is an edited clip used in the documentary. It showed Trump telling supporters, “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.” However, Trump’s team argued that this clip combined three separate parts of his speech.
Furthermore, the edit removed a gap of nearly one hour and excluded Trump’s call for supporters to act “peacefully.” As a result, his lawyers claim viewers were misled about his intent.
The documentary also reportedly showed footage of Proud Boys members heading to the Capitol. However, that footage was taken before Trump spoke, though it was presented as a reaction to his remarks.
Meanwhile, the BBC acknowledged an “error of judgment” last month. BBC chairman Samir Shah used that phrase, although the broadcaster maintained it did not defame Trump.
Both the BBC’s director-general and news CEO stepped down shortly afterward.
The BBC has also argued that the documentary did not air in the United States.
However, Trump’s team countered that Americans using BritBox or virtual private networks could still access it. Consequently, they believe the court has jurisdiction.
