Why Donald Trump Is Suing BBC For $5 Billion: Controversy Over Panorama Documentary Explained

United States President Donald Trump sued the BBC for defamation on Monday, seeking up to $5 billion in damages. He claimed that the broadcaster edited his Jan. 6, 2021, speech to make it seem he had directed his supporters to storm the US Capitol.

Trump said the BBC spliced together parts of his speech, while leaving out his call for a peaceful protest. He is seeking $5 billion for each of two counts. The BBC admitted an error in judgment, but denied any legal basis for the lawsuit.

The dispute centres on the BBC’s Panorama documentary, ‘Trump: A Second Chance?’, aired shortly before the 2024 US presidential election. The film included coverage of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech after losing the elections to Joe Biden.

A leaked memo, published by The Telegraph, claimed the Panorama documentary show edited two separate parts of Trump’s January 2021 speech to make it seem he backed the Capitol riots.

The controversy led to a crisis at Britain's publicly owned broadcaster, prompting resignations of its senior most officials, including director general Tim Davie and news CEO Deborah Turness.

The BBC has apologised to the US President and confirmed it has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary on any of its platforms.

According to a Reuters report, Trump, in his lawsuit filed Monday in Miami federal court, said the BBC, despite its apology, "has made no showing of actual remorse for its wrongdoing nor meaningful institutional changes to prevent future journalistic abuses."

Trump’s lawsuit claims that the BBC defamed him and broke Florida law against deceptive practices, seeking $5 billion per count. It claimed the Panorama documentary tried to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The BBC has admitted an editorial error and acknowledged the misleading impression. But it maintains there is no legal basis for the defamation suit.

Trump may have filed the lawsuit in the US because, under British laws, any defamation claims must be made within a year of publication. This deadline has already passed for the Panorama documentary, the Reuters report added.  

To succeed in the US, he must show that the edit was false and defamatory. He will also need to prove that the BBC knowingly misled viewers or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Legal experts say the BBC may argue the documentary was largely accurate, that the edits did not create a false impression and that Trump’s reputation was not harmed due to the documentary, the report mentioned.