Why the President will likely sue the BBC, and why it makes sense
By Easton Martin | November 12, 2025
President Donald Trump has given the British public broadcaster BBC a Friday deadline to retract and apologize for a documentary he claims mis-edited his January 6, 2021 speech or face legal action seeking at least US $1 billion in damages.
According to a legal letter sent by Trump’s lawyers, the BBC program Panorama spliced together two distinct portions of his address, one in which he urged supporters to march peacefully and patriotically and another nearly an hour later, to create the false impression he said:
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we fight. We fight like hell.”
Trump argues the edit defamed him by portraying him as inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol. He said the broadcaster defrauded the public and that he felt an obligation to hold it accountable.
The BBC has admitted the sequence was an error of judgement and acknowledged the segment may have given the impression of a direct call to violent action. Waves of criticism followed the internal leak of a memo by former BBC adviser Michael Prescott alleging broader editorial failings and bias at the broadcaster.
The controversy has led to the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness. In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the BBC’s independence but said it must get its house in order amid the crisis.
From Trump’s perspective the lawsuit seems to make sense. The BBC admitted the edits created a misleading impression of his speech, giving him grounds to demand correction and compensation. The timing and visibility of the broadcast amplified its potential impact, particularly on public perception of him.
