Trump Files $10 Billion Lawsuit Against BBC Over Edited Documentary Speech

US President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion from the BBC over a documentary that allegedly misrepresented his 2021 speech to supporters ahead of the US Capitol riot.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, demands “damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000” for each of two counts against the broadcaster, citing defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Earlier on Monday, Trump, 79, had indicated that the lawsuit was imminent, claiming the BBC had “put words in my mouth,” suggesting they might have even used AI. The documentary aired last year on the BBC’s flagship current affairs program, “Panorama,” prior to the 2024 election.

According to Trump’s legal team, the video edited two separate sections of his January 6, 2021 speech in a way that made it appear he explicitly urged supporters to attack the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

“The formerly respected BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election,” a spokesperson for Trump’s lawyers said. The statement also claimed the broadcaster “has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own political agenda.”

The BBC, whose audience spans far beyond the United Kingdom, faced renewed scrutiny last month after media reports highlighted the edited clip, prompting the resignation of its director-general and top news executive.

Trump’s lawsuit asserts that the fabricated segment was aired one week before the 2024 Presidential Election in an attempt to influence the election outcome to his detriment. The BBC has denied the claims of legal defamation, though BBC chairman Samir Shah issued a letter of apology to Trump and acknowledged before a UK parliamentary committee that the broadcaster should have acted sooner after discovering the error.

This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions Trump has pursued against media organizations, several of which have previously resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements.