US President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against British broadcaster BBC, seeking at least $10 billion in damages. The case was filed on Monday (December 15) in a federal court in Miami, Florida.

Trump has accused the BBC of defamation, claiming the broadcaster edited and altered his January 6, 2021, speech in a way that misrepresented what he said before the US Capitol riot.

The lawsuit includes two legal counts and demands “damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000,000” for each count.

Earlier in the day, Trump had hinted that legal action was coming. He claimed the BBC had deliberately changed his words and misled viewers.

He said the broadcaster had “put words in my mouth,” and even suggested the clip may have been altered using “AI or something.”

Trump’s legal team strongly criticised the broadcaster in a statement to AFP. They said, "The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election."

The statement also accused the BBC of bias, saying it "has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own leftist political agenda".

According to the lawsuit, the edited video was aired just one week before the 2024 US presidential election. Trump’s team claims the timing was meant to harm his election campaign.

The lawsuit states the video was "fabricated and aired by the Defendants one week before the 2024 Presidential Election in a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence the Election's outcome to President Trump's detriment."

What the BBC is accused of

The case focuses on a Panorama documentary aired by the BBC last year. Panorama is the broadcaster’s well-known current affairs programme.

The film reportedly combined two separate parts of Trump’s January 6 speech. According to the lawsuit, this editing made it appear that Trump directly encouraged his supporters to storm the US Capitol as lawmakers met to confirm Joe Biden’s election victory.

The controversy has already caused serious trouble for the BBC. Media reports last month brought renewed attention to the edited clip, leading to internal chaos at the broadcaster.

Following the backlash, the BBC’s director-general and its top news executive resigned.

The BBC has denied the defamation allegations made by Trump. However, its chairman, Samir Shah, had earlier sent Trump a letter of apology regarding the issue.

The legal case is now set to move forward in the US courts.