US judge says Trump's $10 billion BBC defamation case can proceed

US District Judge ​Jeffrey Kuntz in Florida declined to throw out Trump’s defamation claim against the BBC, ​saying Trump had plausibly alleged that the broadcaster damaged his reputation and knew or should have known the clip was misleading. Kuntz's ruling did not decide whether Trump has proven those ​claims.

Trump called the ruling a "huge victory" in a social media post. "We will continue ​fighting against, and defeating, all of those who try to deceive the American People! " he ‌wrote.

A ⁠BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster was surprised by the decision but respects the court's authority and remains confident in its position. The BBC has previously admitted the edits were misleading and apologized to Trump, though it denies being liable for defamation.

Trump’s lawsuit, ​filed in December ​in Florida federal ⁠court, accuses the BBC of defaming him by splicing together parts of the speech, including one section where he ​to march on the Capitol and another where he said "fight ​like hell". ⁠It omitted a section in which he called for peaceful protest.

The edited speech appeared in a BBC "Panorama" documentary show shortly before the 2024 presidential election, which Trump won. ⁠A ​leaked internal BBC memo cited the edits as ​evidence of potential political bias, sparking a public relations crisis for the broadcaster and leading to high-level ​resignations.