Trump Says He Has ‘Obligation’ to Sue BBC Over Edited Speech Controversy

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he feels an “obligation” to sue the BBC after the broadcaster aired a misleading edit of one of his speeches — though he stopped short of confirming any official legal action.

In an interview with Fox News aired Tuesday, Trump said he believed the BBC had “defrauded the public” by editing footage that appeared to show him calling for “violent action” ahead of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

“I guess I have to, why not?” Trump said when asked whether he planned to sue. “I think I have an obligation to do it because you can’t allow people to do that. They defrauded the public — and they’ve admitted it.”

According to a letter seen by AFP, Trump’s legal team on Monday threatened the BBC with a billion-dollar lawsuit, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation. The BBC has since apologized, saying it did not intend to suggest that Trump incited violence.

Trump also took aim at the U.K. government, saying Britain was “supposedly one of our great allies,” and noting that “the government has a chunk of that one,” referring to the BBC’s public funding.

The controversy has added to pressure on the BBC, which is already facing scrutiny as it prepares for negotiations over its Royal Charter — the document that defines how the corporation is run. The current charter expires in 2027.

Over the weekend, BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the organization’s top news executive both resigned amid mounting backlash over the edited footage. The broadcaster said it would “review” the legal letter from Trump’s team and again apologized publicly for the error.

The disputed clip appeared in a BBC documentary aired last year, which featured a segment of Trump’s speech that seemed to show him urging supporters to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell.” However, the unedited footage included an additional line in which Trump told the crowd to “cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.”

Since returning to power in January, Trump has reportedly considered several legal actions against media outlets he claims have misrepresented him.