Former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion, accusing the broadcaster of intentionally manipulating his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a documentary aired just days before the 2024 presidential election.
The documentary, produced for Panorama, BBC’s flagship investigative program, stitched together quotations taken nearly an hour apart, presenting them as a single continuous statement in which Trump appeared to urge supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”
A portion in which Trump called for peaceful protest was removed entirely.
Trump demands retraction, apology, and compensation
In a letter sent by Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, the BBC is accused of publishing “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory” claims. The letter demands an immediate retraction, formal apology, and compensation for damages—or face a lawsuit seeking no less than $1 billion.
“If the BBC does not comply by November 14, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST, President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights,” the letter states.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the edit was a deliberate attempt to interfere in the U.S. election, adding:
“President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news.”
The BBC responded briefly, saying it would “review the letter and respond in due course.”
Internal concerns raised months earlier
The editing controversy came to light through a leaked internal memo reviewed by the Daily Telegraph. The memo, written by Michael Prescott—a former journalist now advising the BBC on editorial standards—warned that the cut-and-splice editing misrepresented Trump’s remarks.
On Nov. 10, BBC Chairman Samir Shah sent a letter to the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMSC) acknowledging the failure.
“The way the speech was edited did give the impression of a direct call for violent action,” Shah wrote. “The BBC apologizes for that error of judgement.”
Shah added that concerns had been raised twice internally—once in January 2025 and again in May 2025—during a broader review of U.S. election coverage. He admitted that “with hindsight, it would have been better to take more formal action.”
Resignations at the top
The controversy has already triggered major upheaval inside the BBC.
On Nov. 9, Director-General Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigned.
Trump quickly responded on Truth Social, celebrating the resignations:
“The TOP people in the BBC… are all quitting/FIRED because they were caught ‘doctoring’ my very good (PERFECT!) speech of January 6th.”
He accused the BBC of trying to influence the U.S. presidential election and criticized the network as “dishonest people from a foreign country… one many consider our Number One Ally.”
How the editing was done
The Panorama episode in question—“Trump: A Second Chance?”—aired on Oct. 28, 2024, but is no longer available on BBC iPlayer. Clips showing the edited sequences remain accessible on YouTube.
The program combined two separate lines from Trump’s Jan. 6 speech:
- “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be with you” (spoken 15 minutes into the speech)
- “We fight like hell” (spoken 54 minutes later)
Panorama presented them as a single passage, creating the impression that Trump told supporters he would accompany them to the Capitol to “fight like hell.”
The documentary also suggested Trump’s words directly motivated the Proud Boys to march on the Capitol—another point of contention for Trump’s team.
