President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC is moving forward, at least for now. A federal judge in Florida recently ruled that Trump’s claim can continue, although the judge did not make any decisions on the actual issues of the case.
The BBC, a publicly funded broadcaster in the UK, had attempted to have the case dismissed. However, Judge Jeffrey Kuntz decided to allow the defamation claim to proceed, though he did dismiss one part of the case. Specifically, he rejected Trump’s claim that the BBC violated a Florida law regarding unfair business practices.
Trump filed his lawsuit in December, claiming that the BBC had defamed him and engaged in deceptive practices related to a documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” This documentary included edited clips of a speech Trump gave to his supporters on January 6, 2021, just before the Capitol riots. The editing made it appear that Trump was encouraging violence, which he strongly denies.
The BBC admitted to splicing quotes from Trump’s speech together, which led to the misleading portrayal. The broadcaster later apologized for this editing mistake, a point that the judge acknowledged in his recent ruling. Following the incident, the head of the BBC and its top news executive both stepped down from their positions.
Despite acknowledging the editing error, the BBC has maintained that Trump’s claims of defamation are unfounded. In a related development, a different judge in Florida ordered Trump to participate in a deposition by December 11. The BBC’s legal team expressed frustration over delays in Trump’s response, stating that they still have not been able to question him in the lawsuit, even with only two months left in the discovery period.
Following the judge’s ruling, Trump celebrated what he called a “major victory” against what he described as “Fake News” from the BBC. He shared his thoughts on the Truth Social platform, stating, “A Huge Victory against Fake News BBC, a terrible abuser of the truth, just handed down by highly respected District Court Judge, Jeffrey T. Kuntz, of the Southern District of Florida.”
Trump concluded his message with a rallying cry, expressing his determination to continue fighting against those he believes are misleading the American public.
