President Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over claims the outlet doctored his speech during the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol events. According to Fox News reporting, the lawsuit alleges defamation and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, seeking $5 billion in damages for each claim.

The Telegraph disclosed in November that the BBC’s “Panorama” documentary spliced segments from Trump’s January 6 address with parts of a separate speech given nearly an hour later, omitting his calls for supporters to protest “peacefully.” The edited clip instead featured Trump stating, “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol. And we’ll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell.”

Journalist Nick Sortor confirmed the original footage showed Trump emphasizing peaceful support for elected officials: “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol. And we’re gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women…” He later added, “We’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness.”

A Trump legal spokesman condemned the BBC’s actions as intentional and malicious, stating: “The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 presidential election. The BBC has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own Leftist political agenda.”

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump declared: “Literally, they put words in my mouth.” He added, “They actually have me speaking with words that I never said, and they got caught because I believe somebody at BBC said this is so bad, it has to be reported. Let’s call [it] fake news.”

The BBC formally apologized for the editing but refused financial compensation, stating: “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 editorial error triggered resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and director-general Tim Davie.