Judge Allows Trump’s Defamation Case Against BBC to Proceed
A federal judge in Florida allowed Donald Trump’s defamation claim over an edited January 6 speech to move forward while dismissing his unfair trade practices claim.
By Khalid Khalil ·
US President Donald Trump can pursue his defamation lawsuit against the BBC over a misleading edit of his January 6, 2021, speech, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The decision allows that part of the case to proceed, but dismisses a separate claim accusing the broadcaster of unfair trade practices.
US District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz in Florida found that Trump had plausibly alleged harm to his reputation and that the BBC knew, or should have known, that its presentation of the speech was misleading. The ruling did not establish that Trump had proved those allegations or that the broadcaster was liable for defamation.
The lawsuit seeks at least $10 billion from Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster. Trump alleges that the edited footage made it appear he had instructed supporters to storm the US Capitol. The dispute centers on how separate passages of his speech were combined and which remarks were left out of the broadcast.
In the complaint, filed in December in federal court in Florida, Trump accused the BBC of joining a passage urging supporters to march on the Capitol with another in which he told them to “fight like hell.” The version shown by the broadcaster excluded a section in which he called for peaceful protest.
The footage was included in a documentary broadcast on the BBC’s “Panorama” program shortly before the 2024 presidential election, which Trump won. A leaked internal BBC memo later pointed to the editing as an example of possible political bias. The controversy triggered a public relations crisis at the broadcaster and was followed by resignations at senior levels.
The BBC has acknowledged that the edits were misleading and has apologized to Trump. It nevertheless denies liability for defamation. Responding to Tuesday’s ruling, a spokesperson said the organization was surprised by the decision, respected the court’s authority and remained confident in its position.
Trump welcomed the decision in a social media post, describing it as a “huge victory.” He also pledged to continue his fight against those he accused of deceiving the American public.
The BBC litigation is among several cases Trump has brought against news organizations as part of a broader campaign to pressure media outlets over coverage he dislikes. Tuesday’s decision leaves the defamation allegations pending while removing the unfair trade practices claim from the case.
