US President Trump Threatens To Sue The BBC For Up To $5 Billion

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for up to $5 billion (€ 4.3 billion), after the broadcaster apologized for a misleading edit of one of his speeches but refused to pay compensation.

"We'll sue them for anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars, probably some time next week. I think I have to do it. They've even admitted that they cheated," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump said he would raise the BBC issue with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "I'm going to call him over the weekend. He actually put a call into me. He's very embarrassed," he said.

What is the BBC controversy?

The BBC is under fire from Trump over a misleading edit of a "Panorama" documentary which was broadcasted days before the 2024 US Presidential elections.

The program spliced together two excerpts from one of Trump's speeches that were more than 50 minutes apart, creating the impression that he was inciting the Capitol riot.

The documentary had also removed a section where Trump said he wanted supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

The controversy has already led to the resignations of BBC Director General Tim Davie and Chief Executive of News Deborah Turness.

BBC says no basis for defamation

The BBC on Thursday apologized to the US President for the way the speech was edited, in a letter its chairman Samir Shah sent to the White House.

"While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim," the letter read.

BBC Director General Tim Davie and Chief Executive of News Deborah Turness resigned from their positions last week as a result of the crisis.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

Source: DW