Great Britain BBC apologizes to Trump over TV show
The BBC has asked US President Donald Trump to apologize following his threat to sue him for billions over a TV programme.
14.11.2025, 04:11
SDA
The British broadcaster also announced on its website that it would not broadcast the program again. However, it does not intend to pay any compensation.
What Trump is demanding from the BBC
Trump's legal team had sent a letter to the BBC threatening to file a lawsuit if the broadcaster did not apologize, withdraw the programme and pay compensation. The lawyers set a deadline of 11 p.m. (CET/5 p.m. Washington time) on Friday evening and threatened to sue for at least one billion US dollars (the equivalent of more than 860 million euros).
The BBC also reported that they did not intend to pay any compensation. They see no basis for a libel suit. It is unclear whether a lawsuit will be filed.
This is what the dispute is about
The dispute revolves around the broadcaster's editing of a speech made by Trump on January 6, 2021 for the BBC program "Panorama". It was broadcast shortly before the 2024 US presidential election. In January 2021, the Capitol, the seat of the US parliament in Washington, was stormed. At the time, Trump supporters had tried to prevent Democrat Joe Biden's election victory from being officially confirmed there. Trump had also given a speech that day.
BBC admits mistakes
The BBC admitted mistakes. It had unintentionally given the impression that it was showing a continuous section of Trump's speech, although it was showing excerpts from various parts. This gave the impression that he had directly called for violent action, the BBC website continued.
The case has already led to resignations: Head of broadcasting Tim Davie and journalist Deborah Turness, who is responsible for the news, have resigned.
