The BBC has asked a U.S. court to throw out a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump, arguing that the case lacks merit and fails to demonstrate reputational

harm. In legal filings made public Monday, lawyers for the British public broadcaster said Trump’s successful reelection following the documentary’s release undermines his claim that the program damaged his public image. The network contends that the outcome of the election is strong evidence that viewers were not negatively influenced by the contested footage.

Trump’s lawsuit, filed in Florida, centers on a 2024 BBC documentary that featured excerpts from his January 6, 2021 speech. He alleges that the broadcaster manipulated the footage by combining clips from different parts of the speech to falsely suggest he encouraged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.

The documentary included a segment where Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol, followed by another clip—recorded nearly an hour later—in which he used the phrase “fight like hell.” Trump claims the edit created a misleading narrative and violated both defamation laws and Florida statutes prohibiting deceptive business practices.

While the BBC has acknowledged and apologized for the editing, it maintains that the lawsuit should be dismissed. Its legal team argues that Trump cannot prove the brief, 12-second segment in question was intentionally misleading or defamatory within the context of the full hour-long documentary.

In its court submission, the BBC also pointed to statements made by individuals charged in connection with the January 6 events, noting that many interpreted Trump’s remarks as a call to action—independent of the documentary’s portrayal.

Additionally, the broadcaster challenged the jurisdiction of the Florida court, stating that the documentary was not available to viewers in the state and primarily targeted a UK audience. As such, it argues that the case should not proceed in a U.S. venue.

If the court denies the BBC’s motion to dismiss, the case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2027, with proceedings expected to last two weeks. Photo by Chmee2, Wikimedia commons.