According to the complaint filed on December 15, 2025, Trump is seeking up to $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit includes two counts, with $5 billion claimed for alleged defamation and another $5 billion for violating Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Trump alleges that the BBC “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” edited his January 6 speech in an episode of Panorama aired more than a year ago. The edited clip combined portions of his speech delivered nearly an hour apart, creating the impression that Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and fight alongside him.

The Panorama episode suggested Trump told the crowd, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.”

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said the broadcaster had falsely attributed words to him. He said the BBC “put words in my mouth” and portrayed him as saying things he never did.

Trump’s spokesperson accused the BBC of having a long history of misleading coverage of the president, claiming it was driven by a left wing political agenda. The spokesperson said the lawsuit was meant to hold the broadcaster accountable for defamation and what was described as reckless interference in democratic processes.

The lawsuit argues that a Florida court has jurisdiction because the BBC conducts substantial business activities in the state. It cites the broadcaster’s website and the BritBox streaming platform, which operates in the United States.

In the complaint, Trump’s legal team said the BBC had admitted to a serious breach of journalistic ethics and issued an apology, but failed to show genuine remorse or implement meaningful institutional reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future. The filing seeks both compensatory and punitive damages for alleged reputational harm.

Press freedom advocates have urged the BBC to contest the case. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation said journalists should not face multibillion dollar lawsuits over alleged editorial mistakes.

The BBC has previously acknowledged that the editing was an error of judgment and apologised to Trump, but has maintained that there is no legal basis for a defamation claim.

The controversy over the edited clip led to the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and BBC News CEO Deborah Turness.