Trump sues the BBC for defamation over editing of January 6 speech, seeks up to $10 billion in damages
President Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC on December 15, 2025, in federal court in Miami, seeking $10 billion in damages.
The suit accuses the BBC of intentionally editing clips from Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech at the Ellipse to misrepresent his words, splicing an early call to “march” to the Capitol with a later urging to “fight like hell,” while omitting peaceful remarks made 55 minutes apart. Trump’s legal team claims this aired in the BBC’s “Trump: A Second Chance” documentary a week before the 2024 election, aiming to sway voters, and violates Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. They seek $5 billion per count for defamation and trade violations.
BBC Chairman Samir Shah admitted the editing created a “mistaken impression” of Trump calling for violence and expressed regret, but the BBC has not commented on the lawsuit and previously refused compensation demands. Prediction markets like Polymarket show 100% odds that Trump sued the BBC by year-end.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he was suing “for putting words in my mouth” and omitting his “beautiful words” on patriotism. He had earlier threatened $1-5 billion in action.
