President Donald J. Trump has issued a legal warning to the BBC following revelations that its Panorama program altered his 2021 speech on the January 6 Capitol riot, which was aired ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The broadcast selectively edited clips to create the appearance that Trump incited violence, while omitting parts where he urged peaceful demonstrations.
The controversy emerged after a whistleblower exposed the edits in November 2025, leading to the resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness. Turness acknowledged the incident had damaged the broadcaster’s reputation. BBC Chairman Samir Shah defended the organization, admitting it “gets things wrong” but insisting reforms were underway. He noted the BBC was reviewing Trump’s legal correspondence without offering an apology.
A key segment of the Panorama episode spliced together disjointed portions of Trump’s speech, misrepresenting his words to suggest he called for violence. In reality, Trump stated, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” with the contentious “fight like hell” remarks occurring hours later.
Reform Party leader Nigel Farage accused the BBC of “election interference,” stating Trump was “absolutely enraged” by the broadcast. The Panorama episode aired days before the 2025 election, drawing criticism over the broadcaster’s impartiality. Despite its charter requiring neutrality, the BBC has long faced allegations of left-wing bias, including from within its own ranks.
