Trump accuses BBC of ‘defrauding the public’ by editing his speech, threatens $1bn lawsuit

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused the BBC of “defrauding the public,” claiming the broadcaster deliberately distorted his speech made prior to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump said he feels an “obligation” to take legal action following the controversy that led to the resignation of BBC Director-General Tim Davie on Sunday.

Reaffirming his plans for a billion-dollar lawsuit, Trump stated, “I think I have an obligation to do it, you can’t allow people to do that. I guess I have to. They defrauded the public and they’ve admitted it. This is within one of our great allies, supposedly our great ally.”

Calling the BBC’s actions “a pretty sad event,” Trump claimed the broadcaster manipulated his remarks to sound extreme. “They actually changed my January 6 speech, which was a beautiful speech, a very calming speech, and they made it sound radical,” he said.

“They showed me the results of how they butchered it up. It was very dishonest and the head man quit and a lot of the other people quit.”

A legal notice from Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, demanded the immediate retraction of what it described as “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements” made by the BBC.

The letter warns that if the broadcaster “does not comply,” Trump will be “left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights,” including filing a lawsuit seeking no less than $1 billion in damages.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not discussed Trump’s threatened legal action, according to his office.