The BBC apologised over the edit that spliced together two parts of a speech Donald Trump made during an event in Washington DC that were more than 50 minutes apart
The BBC has apologised to Donald Trump over the editing of his speech before the infamous January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
The edit appeared during a 2024 Panorama episode with the BBC describing it as an “error of judgement.” A BBC spokesperson said it would “not be broadcast again in this form on any BBC platforms.”
The BBC statement said: “Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump’s legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday. BBC Chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the President’s speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme.
“The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary ‘Trump: A Second Chance?’ on any BBC platforms. While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
President Trump threatened a billion-dollar lawsuit over the edit and BBC leaders ultimately decided against a public spat with the Republican. When asked about the legal threat by Fox News, Trump said he had “an obligation” to sue the organisation.
He continued: “They showed me the results of how they butchered it up. It was very dishonest and the head man quit and a lot of the other people quit.” But legal experts questioned Trump’s chances of legal victory in any court case, especially as the Panorama episode was not available in Florida where the legal action was filed.
Trump faced widespread criticism over his handling of the riot at the Capitol crisis when his supporters stormed the building during the certification of the 2020 Presidential Election.
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