Donald Trump has said he feels an "obligation" to sue the BBC over its editing of a speech, as the corporation faces a Friday deadline to respond to a billion-dollar legal threat. The US president accused the broadcaster of "defrauding the public" with a Panorama programme that spliced together two parts of his address on 6 January 2021.
The legal action is believed to be a factor in the resignation of Tim Davie, the BBC's director-general, and Deborah Turness, head of BBC News. The BBC has apologised for the edit, admitting it "gave the impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action".
In a Fox News interview, Trump said: "They defrauded the public and they've admitted it." He described the speech as "beautiful" and "very calming", saying the broadcaster "butchered it up". The spliced clip suggested Trump told the crowd: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell." The words were taken from sections almost an hour apart.
Legal experts have questioned Trump's chances of success, citing Florida's liberal libel laws and the fact the programme was not available in the state. However, the BBC must decide whether to fight the case or settle, given that other US broadcasters have settled out of court. Any settlement would be politically sensitive because the BBC is funded by the licence fee.
The controversy has sparked internal anger at the BBC, with reports that senior editors were challenged about the editing months ago but took no action. A memo from Michael Prescott, former external adviser to the BBC's editorial guidelines committee, criticised the programme. Prescott has denied any political motivation.
