Trump sues BBC for $1 bln over alleged distortion of Jan. 6 speech

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to file a $1 billion lawsuit against the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of “malicious distortion” of his Jan. 6, 2021 speech ahead of the Capitol riot.

According to haqqin.az, BBC executives Tim Davie and Deborah Turness resigned after admitting that parts of the 2024 documentary “Trump: The Second Chance” were misleadingly edited to suggest Trump urged supporters to storm the Capitol.

Trump says his words “fight like hell” were taken out of context and spliced with other segments, creating the false impression that he called for violence. He insists he urged followers to “peacefully and patriotically make their voices heard.”

However, a congressional investigation found that the phrase “peacefully and patriotically” was added later by speechwriters. Rights groups note that Trump’s repeated use of the word “fight” was interpreted by far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as a call to action.

Legal experts doubt the lawsuit’s prospects. Kyu Ho Yum, a First Amendment scholar at the University of Oregon, said U.S. courts are unlikely to take up a defamation case against a foreign broadcaster, especially one whose reporting was “substantially accurate.”

The case also puts pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who seeks to maintain stable relations with Washington amid trade talks and U.S. policy debates on Ukraine.

N.Tebrizli