‘They defrauded the public’: Trump threatens billion-dollar lawsuit against BBC over documentary edit. But there’s one major problem with his case

President Donald Trump says he’s moving forward with a $1 billion lawsuit against the BBC after the British broadcaster changed parts of his January 6, 2021 speech in a documentary. Trump claims the edit was done on purpose to make him look like he encouraged the Capitol riot, and he wants the BBC to pay massive damages for what he calls a misleading portrayal.

During a recent interview, Trump confirmed he plans to sue after his lawyers sent a letter to the BBC demanding action. When asked if he would actually go through with it, the president said he believes he has to because the BBC misled people about what happened on January 6.

“Well I think I have an obligation to do it, because you can’t get people, you can’t allow people to do that,” Trump said during the interview. He went on to say the broadcaster had “defrauded the public, and they’ve admitted it.” Trump called his original speech “beautiful” and “very calming” but said the BBC made it look “radical” through their editing choices.

But here’s where Trump’s case hits a wall

Trump’s lawsuit has a big problem that could stop it before it even starts. If he files the case in Florida where he lives, he needs to show that people in Florida actually saw the Panorama documentary. Right now, there’s no proof the program was ever shown anywhere in the United States, which means Trump might not be able to bring the case to court at all.

The BBC has said the edit was wrong. The broadcaster’s chairman Samir Shah apologized and called it an “error of judgement,” and officials say they’ll respond to Trump’s legal letter when they’re ready. Trump’s lawyers want an answer, an apology, and money by Friday at 22:00 GMT, but the deadline has raised questions about Trump’s approach to getting what he wants.

The scandal has already hurt the BBC badly. Two top executives, director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness, both quit because of what happened. At a meeting with BBC staff on Tuesday, Davie stood by the organization and said “we have made some mistakes that have cost us, but we need to fight.”

This lawsuit is just the latest in a series of legal battles Trump has started with news organizations since he came back to the White House. He recently got paid by both CBS News and ABC News after threatening to sue them, and he’s also trying to take legal action against the New York Times. The timing is especially bad for the BBC because the agreement that controls how it operates needs to be renewed at the end of 2027, and Trump has already shown he’s ready to use tough tactics to get results.