Published On 10/11/2025
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Last update: 23:22 (Mecca time)
US President Donald Trump threatened to sue the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and demand compensation amounting to one billion dollars, against the backdrop of what he described as a “misleading and defamatory synthesis” of a speech he gave before the storming of the Capitol building in 2021, according to a letter seen by Agence France-Presse.
Trump’s legal team said, in the letter addressed to the network, that the documentary broadcast by the BBC as part of its famous Panorama program “deliberately distorted” Trump’s statements, and showed him in a “malicious and insulting” manner, which caused him serious damage to his money and reputation.
Trump’s team gave the channel until next Friday to withdraw the documentary, issue an official apology, and pay “appropriate compensation” before proceeding with judicial procedures that “may include demanding at least a billion dollars.”
The Director-General of the BBC announced his resignation yesterday, Sunday, following the controversy raised by the documentary and the subsequent accusations that the network did not adhere to the standards of editorial integrity.
The BBC said in a statement that it “seriously considers” the US President’s message, and offered a “public apology for any possible misunderstanding” caused by the documentary, affirming its commitment to a “full internal investigation” into the circumstances of its production.
Storming the Capitol
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, during the certification session for former President Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential elections, after a speech Trump gave in front of the White House.
His legal team said that the documentary presented Trump’s speech in a way that suggested that he “directly incited violence,” while “ignoring several clips in which he called on his supporters to demonstrate peacefully.”
A spokesman for the legal team confirmed that the letter was sent to the BBC, adding that “President Trump will not tolerate media misinformation campaigns aimed at distorting his image or influencing the upcoming presidential elections.”
Trump had previously filed similar lawsuits against American media organizations, such as “The New York Times,” “ABC,” and “CBS,” claiming “intentional defamation,” but most of those cases ended without rulings in his favor.