Trump claims 'obligation' to sue BBC over speech edit

WASHINGTON,

US President Donald Trump said he felt an “obligation” to sue the BBC over a misleading edit of one of his speeches, although he did not announce any formal legal action, in a Fox News interview aired on Tuesday.

Trump’s lawyers had threatened the British broadcaster with a billion-dollar lawsuit on Monday, according to a letter seen by AFP, after the BBC apologised for giving the impression that the president had urged “violent action” ahead of the 2021 US Capitol attack.

In the Fox News interview, recorded on Monday, Trump was asked whether he planned to sue the BBC.

“I guess I have to, why not?” he replied. “I think I have an obligation to do it because you can’t allow people to do that,” he added, without confirming whether he had formally begun defamation proceedings. “They defrauded the public and they’ve admitted it.”

Trump also criticised Britain, saying it “is supposedly one of our great allies” and adding that “the government has a chunk of that one,” a reference to the BBC.

The Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has sought to balance support for the publicly funded broadcaster’s independence without appearing to take sides against Trump.

The BBC’s director general and its top news executive resigned on Sunday over the controversy. The corporation has said it will “review” the letter from Trump’s legal team and has issued a public apology for the editing.

The row comes at a sensitive time, as the BBC is preparing to renegotiate its Royal Charter, which outlines the organisation’s governance and is due to expire in 2027.

Trump has faced criticism for filing multiple lawsuits aimed at curbing criticism from US media since returning to power in January.

The BBC documentary featuring the edited speech aired last year. In it, Trump appeared to tell supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them and “fight like hell,” although he also said, in the intervening period: “We’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”