US President Donald Trump wants to sue public broadcaster the BBC for up to five billion US dollars over a controversial documentary. The president said in the afternoon that he would not comment on the issue until next week. Trump later told reporters aboard the presidential plane: “We’re going to sue them for $1 billion to $5 billion, probably sometime next week.” Trump added: “I think I have to do this. They even admitted to cheating.”
In a letter, said US President BBC a November 14 deadline has been set for statements. His lawyers called for a “full and fair retraction” of the documentation, an apology and “appropriate compensation to President Trump for the harm caused.” If the BBC does not comply with this demand, he will sue for damages of one billion dollars, as was initially said.
Apology and resignation
The broadcaster has admitted that they edited Donald Trump’s speech on the day of the storming of the Capitol in Washington in 2021 in such a way that it appeared as if Trump directly incited his supporters to violence. BBC Director General Tim Davie and BBC News Director Deborah Turness resigned after the allegations emerged.
Earlier this week, BBC President Samir Shah apologized for a documentary about Trump in a private letter and acknowledged an “error of judgement” by the broadcaster. Excerpts from Trump’s speech were edited to give the impression of a “direct call” for violence by Republicans, he said. At the same time, the broadcaster announced that there was no basis for a defamation lawsuit against the president.
