ITV News Correspondent Robert Moore reports on the latest developments in President Trump’s legal battle against the BBC.
Donald Trump has arrived in Florida for the weekend, still determined to pursue legal action against the BBC.
Not only has he declared that the BBC apology and retraction are insufficient, Trump is now suggesting that he will sue the corporation for up to $5 billion – five times his original figure.
The BBC has made clear that it is not prepared to pay the president compensation, arguing that it made a mistake, but that the Panorama documentary, which was broadcast just days before the 2024 election, was not defamatory.
Trump issued his renewed legal threats in two interviews. The first was to GB News in the White House last night. He insisted that the BBC editing of the documentary was so misleading and “egregious” that he felt an “obligation” to sue the company.
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Then later, speaking aboard Air Force One, he told reporters that he would sue for between “one to five billion dollars” and would likely file the lawsuit at some point next week.
Trump added that he wants to speak to Keir Starmer this weekend, who he said was embarrassed by the whole affair, and he suggested that UK taxpayers are “very angry” with the BBC.
There is no suggestion that the president’s legal team will retreat from their threats. Trump described the BBC News editing of his January 6, 2021, speech as “beyond fake, this is corrupt”.
This piles pressure on BBC executives and the corporation’s lawyers. They must now reckon with the likelihood that the lawsuit will go ahead, despite the apology and retraction.
The BBC now face a nightmare scenario of a protracted legal battle with the US president, with all the enormous costs and distractions that involve.
