US President accuses British state broadcaster of defamation and trying to influence 2024 election
The BBC has asked a US court to dismiss a lawsuit filed against it by US President Donald Trump. The British state broadcaster argued that its documentary, which included an edited speech by Trump during the Capitol Hill riots in 2021, did not damage his reputation enough to warrant a $10 billion defamation lawsuit.
The documentary, which aired shortly before the US election in November 2024, interspersed excerpts from Trump’s speech, creating the impression that he was inciting the January 6 riots by telling supporters. “Fight Like Hell” At the Capitol. The BBC claims that Trump’s reputation has not been tarnished enough since his re-election.
US president “It cannot be plausibly said that the documentary has harmed his reputation.” They won the vote after its release, the broadcaster’s lawyers argued in a 34-page document filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida. He maintained that the case should be thrown out because the documentary was never broadcast in the US on the BBC.
“In fact, no third-party distributor aired the documentary in the US” The court submission said. Blue Ant Media purchased the licensing rights to distribute the documentary “North America” That said, its version does not include the edited speech “Reduce.”
The BBC argued that Trump’s side had failed to prove it “Knowingly intended to create a false impression” And so the case “True malice falls short of the high bar.”
Trump filed his lawsuit in December 2025. He previously accused the BBC of trying to influence the 2024 vote with a documentary which aired just a week before the election. They are seeking $5 billion in damages for defamation and an additional $5 billion under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. His legal team argued that it was selective editing “Could never happen by accident.”
The scandal surrounding the documentary led to the resignation of two top BBC executives, director general Tim Davey and head of news Deborah Turness, amid concerns about the corporation’s impartiality. The broadcaster apologized to Trump in November.
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