Trump announces plans to sue the BBC regarding Panorama's editing of his speech.

US President Donald Trump stated he will pursue legal action against the BBC due to the editing of his speech by Panorama, following the corporation's apology but refusal to provide compensation. On Friday evening, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump remarked: "We'll sue them for anywhere between $1bn [£759m] and $5bn, probably sometime next week." On Thursday, the BBC acknowledged that the edit of the 6 January 2021 speech had unintentionally created "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" and confirmed it would not air again. The corporation apologized to the president but indicated it would not offer any financial compensation.

"I have to do it" - Trump confirms he will take legal action against the BBC over Panorama's editing. US President Donald Trump has declared his intention to take legal action against the BBC regarding the editing of his speech by Panorama, after the corporation apologized but declined to compensate him. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday evening, Trump stated: "We'll sue them for anywhere between $1bn [£759m] and $5bn, probably sometime next week." On Thursday, the BBC admitted that the edit of the 6 January 2021 speech had unintentionally given "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" and confirmed it would not be broadcast again.

The corporation apologized to the president but maintained it would not provide financial compensation. The BBC issued that statement after Trump's lawyers warned they would sue for $1bn in damages unless the corporation issued a retraction, apology, and provided compensation. "I think I have to do it," Trump told reporters regarding his legal plans. "They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth." The president mentioned he had not discussed the matter with Sir Keir Starmer, although the prime minister had requested to speak with him. Trump indicated he would reach out to Starmer over the weekend.

A review of public court record databases confirmed that no lawsuits had been filed in either federal or state court in Florida as of Friday evening. In a different interview on Saturday, which was recorded before his remarks on Air Force One, Trump stated that he felt he had an "obligation" to sue the BBC, adding: "If you don't do it, you don't prevent it from happening again with others." He described the edit as "egregious" and "worse than the Kamala thing," referring to a conflict he had with the US news outlet CBS regarding an interview on the 60 Minutes program with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris. The issue arises from how Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, was edited by Panorama for a documentary that aired in October 2024. During his speech, he told his supporters: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." More than 50 minutes later in the same speech, he stated: "And we fight. We fight like hell." In the Panorama program, the clip presents him as saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

The controversy regarding the editing of Trump's speech has resulted in the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. In its Corrections and Clarifications section, released on Thursday evening, the BBC acknowledged that the Panorama program had been reviewed following criticism of how Trump's speech was edited. "We recognize that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were presenting a single continuous segment of the speech, rather than excerpts from various points in the speech, and that this led to the incorrect impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action," the statement read. Lawyers representing the BBC have contacted Trump's legal team, a BBC spokesperson reported this week. A review of public court record databases confirmed that no lawsuits had been filed in either federal or state court in Florida as of Friday evening. In a different interview on Saturday, which was recorded before his remarks on Air Force One, Trump stated that he felt he had an "obligation" to sue the BBC, adding: "If you don't do it, you don't prevent it from happening again with others." He described the edit as "egregious" and "worse than the Kamala thing," referring to a conflict he had with the US news outlet CBS regarding an interview on the 60 Minutes program with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris.

The issue arises from how Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, was edited by Panorama for a documentary that aired in October 2024. During his speech, he told his supporters: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women." More than 50 minutes later in the same speech, he stated: "And we fight. We fight like hell." In the Panorama program, the clip presents him as saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell." The controversy regarding the editing of Trump's speech has resulted in the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.

In its Corrections and Clarifications section, released on Thursday evening, the BBC acknowledged that the Panorama program had been reviewed following criticism of how Trump's speech was edited. "We recognize that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were presenting a single continuous segment of the speech, rather than excerpts from various points in the speech, and that this led to the incorrect impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action," the statement read. Lawyers representing the BBC have contacted Trump's legal team, a BBC spokesperson reported this week. Finally, opinions regarding public issues and political discourse are strongly safeguarded by defamation laws in the United States.