Donald Trump sparks fiery GB News row as ex-BBC editor hits out at President over lawsuit: 'Stick to what was said!'

Mr Plaut argued: "Let me make it quite clear, what was done was wrong, it was against all the training I ever received from BBC, and I certainly wouldn't have done it.

"But it's just so amusing to hear somebody like Donald Trump attacking the BBC when Donald Trump has practically no relationship with the news or with the truth."

Taking aim at the US President, the ex-BBC editor argued: "I mean, even the actual statement that he made, 'words I never said', he did say the words."

Interjecting Mr Plaut, host Cameron Walker hit back: "Not in that order though, Martin."

Martin responded: "He didn't say them in that order, but they were words he said. It was not made up by AI, they were words that were made by Donald Trump. Now, I've made it clear, I think it was wrong, the BBC has said it's wrong, I wouldn't have done it. But actually he has no relationship with the truth himself.

"This is the man who said that he would get peace in Ukraine in 24 hours. How much later on are we now? Honestly, it's just ironic to be attacking the BBC."

Weighing in on the discussion, host Nana Akua stated: "That's just wishful thinking. If you've just said all that, and then I go away and take bits and pieces of what you said, and then join them up and present it as though you said all of that, those are words that you didn't say. The words came out of your mouth."

Martin disagreed, hitting back at Nana: "They are words I said, but not in that order. That's something completely different. That is a completely different thing."

Reading the quotes of the original speech and the edit of Donald Trump by the BBC, Cameron told GB News viewers: "So in the original speech, Trump said, 'we're going to walk down to the Capitol and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women'.

"About an hour later, he said, 'we fight like hell'. The Panorama edit said, 'we're going to walk down to the Capitol and I'll be there with you, and we fight like hell'.

"Is that not omitting President Trump's calls for peacefully going down to the Capitol and suggesting incitement to cause riots at the Capitol?"

Mr Plaut responded: "Well, there are two things to say about that. The first is, as I've said before, it was wrong, let's go back over that, it's wrong. The second thing to say is that he did use the word fight ten times in the speech.

"The other problem with Trump's approach is that actually to win this case, he has to show what is called actual malice by the BBC. Now, that is very different, because if you actually watch the programme, you will see there were many people inside the programme quoted who back him, who support him, who are his supporters.

"So it's very difficult to uphold the idea that there was an actual malice in producing the programme, when it actually carried material that backed his case."

Pressed by Nana again, the GB News host asked him: "So why Martin, did they not leave it be if it was so clear that he was inciting violence in what he was saying? Why do they feel the need to splice it up?"

He responded: "They shouldn't have done it. I've said that now three times, it was a mistake. But it wasn't something that actually indicated what the whole of the programme showed, and you've got to see the whole thing in context, see it in balance.

"President Trump, do you remember what he said about women? Do you remember where he said that he would grab them? What sort of reputation does he have? You're telling me that this is somebody we should apologise to?"

Nana concluded: "This isn't about what he said about women, though, this is about the BBC misleading their viewers and splicing two bits of clip that don't go together and altered the meaning of what he was saying. And that's the point, it's not about what he said yesterday, or about the women or this or that, can we stick to what he said? That's why he's suing them."

In a statement, a BBC spokesman said: "As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings."

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