Trump files $5 billion defamation lawsuit against BBC

US President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

According to reports, the US president has lodged a $5 billion damages claim in Florida, alleging that the BBC aired an edited clip of his January 6 speech.

Trump stated that the BBC broadcast his speech out of context, causing serious harm to his reputation. He said the network’s actions misrepresented his remarks and unfairly portrayed his intent.

It is recalled that in a documentary, the BBC combined different portions of Trump’s speech in a way that suggested he instructed his supporters to march toward the Capitol and engage in a fight.

In reality, those statements were taken from separate parts of the speech delivered nearly an hour apart.

The BBC has acknowledged the error and issued an apology to Trump.

The broadcaster admitted that the manner in which segments of the January 6, 2021 speech were edited created a misleading impression that Trump had directly incited violence.

Following the controversy, BBC Director General Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness have resigned.