Does Trump have a defamation against the BBC

12/11/2025 15:54

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for at least $1 billion over its airing of what he says was a deceptively edited documentary, but the case could hinge on whether anyone in Florida watched it online and felt misled.



If that hurdle is cleared, a U.S. court would need to decide whether Britain's biggest broadcaster intentionally deceived viewers.



Here is a look at what Trump would need to prove and how the BBC could defend itself.



Trump and his lawyers have accused the BBC of defaming him by splicing together two parts of a January 6, 2021 speech to make it appear he directed his supporters to violently storm the U.S. Capitol.



In a letter viewed by Reuters, Trump's legal team gave the BBC until Friday to retract the October 2024 "Panorama" documentary news program episode where the excerpts appeared, or face a lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion.