Judge rules Trump’s $10bn BBC defamation suit can proceed
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- A US judge allowed President Donald Trump’s $10bn defamation lawsuit against the BBC to proceed, rejecting the broadcaster’s motion to dismiss the case but not ruling on the merits of Trump’s claims.
- Trump alleges the BBC deceptively edited a January 6, 2021, speech in a 2024 documentary to make it appear he incited violence, while the BBC admitted the edit was misleading but denies defamation.
- The case centers on two clips from Trump’s speech that were nearly 55 minutes apart, which Trump claims were sequenced to falsely suggest he called for violence, omitting his calls for peaceful protest.
- The lawsuit, filed in December 2025, originally included claims under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, but the judge dismissed that count; Trump must testify by December 11 or risk dismissal.
- This lawsuit is part of a broader legal campaign by Trump against media organizations, including ongoing defamation suits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, seeking billions in damages.
