Trump says lawsuit against BBC will be filed imminently

Donald Trump

Trump says lawsuit against BBC will be filed imminently

Trump teased a lawsuit will be filed 'probably this afternoon or tomorrow morning'

Joseph A. Wulfsohn Fox News

Published

December 15, 2025 4:23pm EST

Video

President Donald Trump: 'They put terrible words in my mouth'

President Trump reveals when he intends to file a lawsuit against the BBC over a 'Panorama' documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered before the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

NEW

You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump teased his intention to move forward with a major lawsuit against the BBC, dubbing its depiction of him "fake news."

"In a little while, you'll be seeing I'm suing the BBC for literally putting words in my mouth. Literally. They put words in my mouth," Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday before suggesting the outlet used AI. "Even the media can't believe that one. They actually put terrible words in my mouth having to do with January 6th that I didn't say."

"So we'll be filing that soon — probably this afternoon or tomorrow morning," Trump later added.

The BBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

WHAT'S BEHIND TRUMP'S HEATED FEUD WITH THE BBC THAT RESULTED IN A $5 BILLION LAWSUIT THREAT?

President Donald Trump said he intends to file a lawsuit against the BBC "probably this afternoon or tomorrow morning." (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The controversy began with a bombshell report from The Telegraph that featured excerpts from a whistleblower dossier compiled by Michael Prescott, a communications advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards.

The whistleblower revealed that a BBC Panorama documentary released last year had a misleading edit of comments Trump made during a rally speech given on Jan. 6, 2021, as he protested the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The documentary omitted Trump urging his supporters to protest "peacefully" and instead spliced two separate comments made nearly an hour apart, making him appear he was calling for violence.

LEGAL ANALYST PREDICTS TRUMP COULD WIN 'CONSIDERABLE' DAMAGES FROM BBC DOCUMENTARY LAWSUIT

A security guard walks outside the BBC headquarters in central London, Britain, March 11, 2023 (Reuters/Henry Nicholls)

"We're gonna walk down to the Capitol. And I'll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell," the documentary showed Trump saying.

In reality, Trump said, "We're gonna walk down to the Capitol. And we're gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong." It wasn't until 54 minutes later that Trump called on his supporters to "fight like hell" for election integrity.

The BBC previously issued an apology for the erroneous edit and said it had pulled the program from its platforms, but a spokesperson for the broadcaster added, "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."

The blunder led to the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie.

EX-BBC DIRECTOR GENERAL TELLS NETWORK THEY SHOULDN'T AGREE TO PAY TRUMP ANY MONEY

Deborah Turness leaving BBC headquarters

Deborah Turness, former head of BBC News, speaks to media outside Broadcasting House on Nov. 10, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

Trump says lawsuit against BBC will be filed imminently