BBC to argue Trump failed to show he was defamed in documentary

LONDON - Britain's public broadcaster, the BBC, said on Feb 18 that US President Donald Trump had failed to establish that it defamed him in a documentary broadcast shortly before he won a second White House term.

In a filing in Miami federal court, the BBC said it intends to argue that

Mr Trump’s US$10 billion (S$12.6 billion) lawsuit

should be dismissed because he failed to state successful claims for defamation and for a violation of a Florida unfair trade practices law.

The BBC said it also intends to argue that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear Mr Trump’s case under Florida law, federal rules governing civil cases, and the US Constitution’s “due process” clause.

It has apologised to Mr Trump for the edit.

Lawyers for Mr Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The BBC has until March 17 to respond formally to Mr Trump’s complaint, which he filed on Dec 15. 

A trial is scheduled for Feb 15, 2027.

Mr Trump accused the BBC of splicing together footage of parts of a speech he gave on Jan 6, 2021, to make it appear that he had directed supporters to

storm the US Capitol

later that day, when lawmakers planned to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

The edit – for the documentary Trump: A Second Chance? – spliced together a section where Mr Trump said supporters would march on the Capitol with another, recorded nearly an hour later, where he exhorted them to “fight like hell”.

Mr Trump, a Republican, is seeking at least US$5 billion of damages on each claim against the BBC, which is publicly funded.

Fallout from the documentary, including allegations of bias, led to the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news in November. REUTERS