BBC issues apology to Donald Trump after $1 billion lawsuit threat
The BBC has formally apologised to Donald Trump for a controversial edit in its documentary that misrepresented his January 6 2021 speech.
In a letter from BBC Chair Samir Shah to the White House, the broadcaster admitted that the clip in question had been edited in a way that gave the “mistaken impression” that Trump made a direct call for violent action.
The edit appeared in an episode of the Panorama documentary series titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”, which aired shortly before the U.S. 2024 presidential election. The clip spliced together portions of Trump’s speech that were delivered at different times, but presented as though they were continuous creating the appearance of an incitement to violence.
Trump’s legal team sent the BBC a letter demanding a retraction, an apology, and compensation, warning of legal action for at least $1 billion in damages if the broadcaster failed to comply. The letter claimed the documentary caused “overwhelming financial and reputational harm”.
While the BBC accepted the error in judgment, it explicitly rejected the notion that the case constituted defamation under either U.K. or U.S. law, stating it “strongly disagree[s] there is a basis for a defamation claim”.
The broadcaster has also announced that the programme in question will not be rebroadcast on any BBC platform.
The episode’s fallout has been significant: two of the BBC’s senior executives Director-General Tim Davie and News Chief Deborah Turness resigned amid the controversy.
This incident has thrown a spotlight on issues of editorial standards, transparency, and institutional impartiality at the BBC, and has drawn scrutiny from both UK government figures and external commentators.
