The BBC apologized for an ‘error of judgement’ after the British broadcaster was accused of selectively editing the president’s speech on Jan. 6, 2021.
President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its editing of the president’s speech on Jan. 6, 2021, which was presented in a documentary aired one week before last year’s presidential election.
The documentary for Panorama, the BBC’s flagship news program, spliced together quotes from different sections of a 2021 speech delivered nearly an hour apart, making it appear to be one continuous quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”
Among the parts cut out was a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.
A letter from Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, demands that the BBC immediately retract “the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements,” apologize, and “appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused,” or face legal action for $1 billion in damages.
“If the BBC does not comply with the above 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, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages,” the letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, states.
A spokesman for Trump’s legal team told The Epoch Times by email: “The BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally and deceitfully editing its documentary in order to try and interfere in the Presidential Election. President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news.”
A BBC spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email, “We will review the letter and respond directly in due course.”
Concerns over the editing of the footage were raised in a leaked memo, initially reviewed by the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper and published last week. The memo was written by Michael Prescott, a former journalist who is now on a committee giving editorial advice to the BBC.
