The BBC has issued a formal apology to US President Donald Trump concerning an edited version of his speech featured in a Panorama documentary, while simultaneously rejecting his demand for $1 billion in compensation.
The Apology and Legal Standoff
BBC Chairman Samir Shah sent a personal letter to the White House expressing regret for what the corporation termed an "error of judgment" in the presentation of President Trump's 6 January 2021 speech. The broadcaster confirmed it will not air the episode, titled 'Trump: A Second Chance?', again in any form.
However, a BBC spokesperson stated unequivocally: "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." This statement came directly in response to the legal threat from President Trump's team, which had given the BBC until Friday to issue a retraction, apologise, and pay substantial compensation.
Resignations and Political Fallout
The controversy has already claimed high-profile scalps within the BBC, with Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness both resigning over the editing scandal. The edited sequence was accused of making it appear that President Trump directly encouraged the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters later that day.
The BBC published a detailed retraction on the Panorama programme's webpage, explaining: "We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action."
Broader Reactions and Historical Context
President Trump characterised his original speech as "very calming" and "beautiful" in comments to Fox News, asserting that the BBC had "butchered it up." He stated he felt an "obligation" to sue the broadcaster.
The political reaction in Britain has been swift. The Liberal Democrats urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reject what they called President Trump's "ludicrous" threat. The party's leader, Sir Ed Davey, and culture spokeswoman Anna Sabine insisted in a statement that Trump should be told there is "no chance of him getting a single penny of licence fee payers' money".
Meanwhile, some members of the British public have expressed strong views on the matter. A caller to BBC 5 Live declared: "If we have to pay a penny to Trump, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to pay my TV licence."
This incident is not the first time President Trump has threatened legal action against media organisations, though the scale of the demanded compensation—$1 billion—marks a significant escalation in his long-running disputes with news outlets.
