Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he intends to take legal action against the BBC, seeking between $1 billion and $5 billion in damages after the broadcaster apologized for an inaccurately edited clip of one of his speeches but refused to offer compensation.
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “We’re going to sue them for anywhere from a billion to five billion dollars, likely next week. I feel I have no choice. They’ve even admitted they were wrong.”
Earlier in the week, Trump’s legal team sent a letter accusing the BBC of defaming him with the edited footage linked to the events leading up to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, giving the broadcaster until Friday to apologize and settle.
Trump added that the controversy had stirred anger in the UK. “People in the UK are very upset, as you’d expect, because it shows the BBC is fake news,” he said Friday night.
The former president also noted he planned to discuss the matter with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “I’ll be calling him over the weekend. He already reached out. He’s very embarrassed,” Trump claimed.
On Monday, the BBC apologized for creating the impression in a documentary that Trump had explicitly called for “violent action” shortly before the Capitol attack. The backlash over the misleading edit has already resulted in the resignations of both the BBC’s director-general and its head of news.
BBC chairman Samir Shah confirmed on Thursday that he had written personally to the White House, expressing regret for the edited segment.
However, the broadcaster maintained its stance, stating: “While the BBC sincerely regrets the way the clip was edited, we strongly dispute that there is any basis for a defamation claim.”
[Vanguard]
