Miami, Florida has scheduled a hearing in President Trump’s $10bn (£7.5bn) defamation suit against the BBC for February of next year.
He is suing over a 2024 Panorama episode in which clips of him addressing supporters on Day 2021 were edited together. attack on the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Mr. Trump stated that the edited clip gave the impression he incited violence and encouraged people to storm the building.
The edited clip used soundbites of the president that were in reality 50 minutes apart but were stitched together to say, “We’re walking to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
The January 6 attack on the Capitol remains a day of infamy in modern US history, with at least seven people losing their lives, including five police officers, a Senate report said.
President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.”
The BBC apologised for the edit and acknowledged that it “created the false impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action”.
However, it denies that the clip caused any harm to Mr Trump, as he was ultimately re-elected.
It has tried to dismiss the claim on several grounds, such as arguing that the episode was not available in Florida or the US and that the court lacked jurisdiction.
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Court documents reveal that the BBC plans to dismiss Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the January 6 Panorama edit.
But Florida Judge Roy K. Altman said today that the two-week hearing would begin on February 15, 2027, and that the BBC’s attempt to delay the “discovery” part of the case—where both sides can take evidence from each other— was premature.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As we have previously made clear, we will defend this matter. We are not going to comment further on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Mr Trump’s claim seeks $5 billion for defamation and $5 billion for unfair trade practices.
