Why Trump Threatened the BBC

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened the BBC with legal action and a claim for $1 billion in damages following the release of a documentary by the network that, according to Trump’s lawyer, contained “malicious and humiliating edits” of his January 6, 2021, speech.

Trump claims that the BBC, in one of its documentaries, edited footage of his January 6 speech in a way that accused him of issuing orders to storm the U.S. Capitol.

The legal threat was sent in a letter from one of Trump’s attorneys to the BBC, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The letter demands “a full apology, the removal of the documentary, and payment of appropriate damages to compensate for the harm caused” to Trump.

A section of the letter reads: “If these demands are not met, President Trump will be forced to pursue his legal and civil rights, including filing a lawsuit for no less than $1 billion.”

The BBC stated on its website that it has received the threatening letter and “will respond at the appropriate time.” The documentary in question, titled Trump: A Second Chance?, which aired prior to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, has been removed from the BBC’s online streaming platform.

Samir Shah, Chairman of the BBC Board, wrote in a separate letter on Monday that complaints regarding the editing of Trump’s speech were reviewed in Standards Committee sessions in January and May, and the results were communicated to the documentary production team. He added: “In retrospect, more formal action should have been taken. We acknowledge that the way the speech was edited created the impression of a direct call to violent action. The BBC apologizes for this error.”

Amid rising pressure over the documentary’s editing, BBC Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News Director Deborah Turness resigned from their positions on Sunday.