Trump sues BBC for up to $5 billion despite apology, as director general and news CEO resign

President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Nov. 15, 2025, that he'll sue the BBC "for anywhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week. I think I have to do it. They have even admitted that they cheated." The lawsuit stems from a BBC Panorama documentary titled "Trump: A Second Chance?" that aired Oct. 28, 2024, which edited Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech by splicing together three separate sections to create the impression he made a direct call for violent action. Trump's lawyers gave the BBC a deadline of 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 15 to retract the documentary, apologize, and pay compensation.

BBC Chair SSSamir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House on Nov. 14, saying he and the corporation are "sorry for the edit of the President's speech" and acknowledging it created "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action." However, the BBC's response to Trump's legal team made clear, "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagrees there is a basis for a defamation claim." The broadcaster said it won't pay financial compensation and won't rebroadcast the 2024 program.

BBC Director General Tim Davie and Head of News DTDeborah Turness both resigned in the wake of the scandal, pushing the network into its most severe crisis in decades. The BBC's most recent operational report shows total income of £5.9 billion (more than $7.5 billion) in the year ending Mar. 2025, with the license fee raising £3.8 billion ($5 billion)—65% of the BBC's revenue. Trump previously threatened to sue unless the BBC retracted the documentary and apologized for what his lawyers described as "overwhelming financial and reputational harm."

The BBC's legal response outlined five main arguments why it believes there's no legitimate defamation case: (1) the episode didn't air in the U.S., (2) it didn't cause Trump harm since he won the election a week later, (3) the edits were intended to shorten a long speech rather than to mislead, (4) the clip wasn't meant to be taken in isolation, and (5) matters of public concern and political speech are protected under U.S. law. The documentary was commissioned by the BBC from an external production company.

Trump told GB News on Nov. 15, "This was so egregious. If you don't do it, you don't stop it from happening again with other people. I'd like to find out why they did it." He said he's not looking to get into lawsuits but painted the move as essential to prevent similar incidents. Trump added, "I made a beautiful statement, and they made it into a not beautiful statement." He said the apology isn't enough, "'We apologize,' but when you say it's unintentional, I guess if it's unintentional, you don't apologize."

Trump said on Nov. 15 that he plans to call UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the weekend to discuss the BBC issue, claiming Starmer is "very embarrassed" about the situation. Under UK law, Trump can't sue in English or Welsh courts because the purported wrongdoing happened more than 12 months ago—the UK's strict statute of limitations for defamation. If Trump pursues the claim, his only option is to sue in U.S. courts, though legal experts note the episode didn't air in America.

Former UK Prime Minister LTLiz Truss backed Trump's lawsuit on Nov. 15, calling the BBC a "laughingstock" and urging it be defunded. "The BBC used to be the paragon of journalism across the world. It was respected. It's now become a laughingstock, and it needs to be put out of its misery," Truss said. Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett said an apology isn't enough and called for compensation. Tony Hall, BBC director-general from 2013 to 2020, said Saturday that the corporation should never agree to pay Trump any money.

The potential lawsuit has touched a cultural nerve for many Britons because of how entwined the BBC is with national identity. During a BBC radio phone-in, one caller identifying himself as Simon from Truro warned, "If we have to pay a penny to Trump, then I'm sorry—I'm not going to pay my TV license. The world just seems to be frightened of him. I think the BBC needs to stand up to him." Journalism professor Jane Martinson said, "The idea that an American president would sue the British broadcaster, paid for by British taxpayers—sue for a billion dollars for a 12-second edit of a speech he made is pretty astonishing."