Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC in December 2025 seeking $10 billion in damages over editing in a 2024 documentary that he claims falsely portrayed his January 6, 2021 speech as incitement to the Capitol riot [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The BBC program "Trump: A Second Chance?" aired in November 2024 as part of the Panorama series and included edited segments of Trump's speech [2, 3, 4, 5].
The lawsuit alleges that the BBC maliciously spliced together separate parts of Trump's remarks to distort his meaning and interfere in the 2024 US presidential election [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Trump's legal complaint breaks down the $10 billion damages claim into two counts of $5 billion each for defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices under Florida law [2, 3, 4, 5].
BBC lawyers have sought help from a US federal court to subpoena testimony and documents from Trump's adult children Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner, citing their personal knowledge relevant to the case [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. However, subpoenas have not been served due to the family members' Secret Service protection [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The BBC contends their input and possible records will assist their defense in the lawsuit [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Prior to the January 6 speech, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. were reportedly present during discussions between Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence [2, 3, 4, 5]. Donald Trump Jr. is said to have urged former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to condemn the Capitol violence, while Kushner reportedly drafted a statement denouncing the riot [2, 3, 4, 5].
Trump's legal team accused the BBC of abusing the testimony subpoena process to harass their family. A spokesperson said, "BBC蓄意誹謗川普總統，現在又想濫用證言詢問程序，騷擾川普、川普的家人及川普的支持者。BBC只是想轉移人們對其明顯責任的注意力。" (The BBC maliciously defamed President Trump and now wants to abuse the testimony inquiry process to harass Trump, his family, and supporters. The BBC just wants to divert attention from its obvious responsibility.) [2].
The BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edits but denies the defamation claims [1].
The case is scheduled for trial in February 2026 if the lawsuit moves forward [2, 3, 4, 5].
