Trump Threatens Swift Lawsuit Against BBC Over ‘Misleading’ Jan. 6 Coverage

President Donald Trump announced Monday he plans to file a lawsuit against Britain’s BBC within days, alleging the broadcaster made false and damaging reports about his remarks leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol unrest.

According to remarks Trump shared with reporters that were carried by Reuters, the president intends to initiate legal action as soon as Monday or Tuesday. He characterized the BBC’s coverage of his statements as crossing from biased interpretation into factual falsehoods, suggesting the network exposed itself to significant legal liability through such reporting.

Trump did not specify the exact BBC report in question but indicated it involved coverage of his comments prior to January 6. The president has consistently maintained that he urged supporters to act peacefully and lawfully during the events, citing transcripts and video evidence of his remarks calling for protests “peacefully and patriotically.”

Reuters reported that Trump accused the BBC of advancing claims he says are untrue, which he argues should be subject to legal action under U.S. defamation laws. The BBC has not publicly responded to Trump’s comments or confirmed whether it received any formal legal notice as of Monday.

Trump has repeatedly criticized major media outlets for promoting narratives hostile to his presidency while dismissing information that supports his account of events. He also argued that the coverage of January 6 has become a political weapon used to discredit him and his supporters rather than examine broader security and decision-making failures at the Capitol.

The president’s history includes filing or threatening lawsuits against multiple media organizations, reflecting a strategy he describes as challenging an entrenched and unaccountable press culture. Legal experts note that defamation claims by public figures face high legal thresholds in U.S. courts, though Trump has argued these standards are outdated.

Given the BBC’s UK headquarters, the potential lawsuit could involve complex jurisdictional questions depending on where the case is filed and how the allegedly false statements were distributed. Trump did not specify whether the case would be brought in American or British courts.

The BBC, which is funded primarily through a mandatory license fee paid by U.K. households, has long defended its reporting as impartial, though critics argue it reflects an institutional bias against conservative leaders.