Despite the network's apology, Donald Trump is demanding up to $5 billion from the BBC, which he accuses of broadcasting a misleading edit of a 2021 speech.

The affair has taken on a dramatic dimension. Donald Trump is once again threatening the BBC after they altered a speech. During a briefing with journalists aboard Air Force One on Friday evening, the US president asserted that the British public broadcaster's apology was insufficient. "We're going to sue them for between $1 billion and $5 billion... probably next week. I think I have to do it." The president maintains he wants to discuss the matter with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the coming days.

Donald Trump has accused the BBC of altering a portion of a speech he gave on January 6, 2021. "They even admitted to cheating," he claimed, asserting that Panorama's editing had "changed the words coming out of [his] mouth," according to Sky News. He believes the affair reveals a decline in editorial standards. "This shows that the BBC is fake news," he insisted, adding that "the British people are very angry" about this.

Internal earthquake at the BBC

The Daily Telegraph revealed earlier this month that an internal memo from the channel had already expressed concerns about how the speech had been edited. The scandal caused an internal earthquake: Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness both announced their resignations following the revelations.

Faced with the controversy, the BBC issued a formal apology on Thursday and acknowledged an "error of judgment." "The BBC sincerely regrets the way the clip was edited," a spokesperson said. But the company maintains that it "sees no grounds for a lawsuit." As Sky News reports, Donald Trump's lawyers had already threatened a $1 billion lawsuit if the BBC did not issue a formal apology, remove the clip, and compensate him. But despite the apology and explanation, the conflict now appears destined for the courts, with unprecedented financial stakes.