US President Donald Trump told reporters today that he will likely file a lawsuit for between $1 billion and $5 billion against the BBC next week in the United States over the editing of his speech from January 6, 2021 - the day his supporters stormed the Capitol, Reuters reported.
Trump's lawyers initially gave the BBC a deadline of yesterday to withdraw its documentary or face a lawsuit of "no less" than $1 billion. They also demanded that the BBC apologize and compensate Trump for what they said were "significant reputational and financial damages."
The BBC, which admitted that the editing of Trump's speech was a "misjudgment," sent a personal apology to the US president on Thursday but said he had no legal basis to sue the media outlet.
"We're going to sue them for somewhere between $1 billion and $5 billion, probably next week," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida.
"I think I should, in the sense that they even admitted that it was a hoax. They twisted my words," Trump said.
The US president said he had not spoken to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the matter but planned to call him this weekend. He added that Starmer had tried to contact him and was "very embarrassed" by the incident.
The BBC documentary includes three excerpts from Trump's speech edited to make it appear that he was inciting the storming of the Capitol. His lawyers said it was "manipulative and defamatory".
Faced with pressure to lower the cost of living for Americans, Trump signed an executive order today to repeal some of the tariffs he himself had imposed, exempting products such as coffee, beef and exotic fruits, Agence France-Presse reported.
""I have decided that certain agricultural products should not be subject to reciprocal tariffs", the US president explained in the executive order.
The list includes products that the US cannot grow or grow in quantities that are insufficient for its needs, such as coffee, tea, bananas and other exotic fruits, as well as pine nuts.
Beef is also included in the list after the price of this product reached record levels in the country.
In April, the US president introduced the so-called "reciprocal" tariffs of at least 10 percent on most products imported into the United States, with the aim of reducing the country's trade deficit and supporting domestic production.
These tariffs even covered products that could not be produced on American soil.
After a painful defeat in local elections, the Republican majority put the issue of the cost of living at the top of its priorities.
Donald Trump was reelected on a promise to improve the purchasing power of Americans.
The White House this week highlighted measures taken to lower the prices of basic goods, such as gasoline and eggs, as well as an agreement to reduce the prices of some weight-loss drugs.