By Newswriters News Desk
In a blistering takedown that has transatlantic media circles buzzing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt unleashed on the BBC, branding it “total, 100 percent fake news” and a “leftist propaganda machine” funded by unwitting British taxpayers. The salvo, delivered in a fiery interview with The Telegraph published Friday, stems from fresh allegations of doctored footage in a BBC Panorama episode revisiting the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot – a flashpoint that continues to polarize global discourse four years on.
Leavitt, a 27-year-old rising star in Donald Trump’s orbit and the youngest press secretary in modern White House history, didn’t mince words. “This purposefully dishonest, selectively edited clip by the BBC is further evidence that they are total, 100% fake news that should no longer be worth the time on the television screens of the great people of the United Kingdom,” she told the outlet. Her ire zeroed in on the program’s portrayal of Trump’s Ellipse speech that fateful day, accusing editors of splicing inflammatory excerpts – like the president’s call to “fight like hell” – while excising his pleas for supporters to act “peacefully and patriotically.”
The controversy ignited after a leaked internal BBC document, obtained by The Telegraph, reportedly admitted the edit “completely misled” viewers by omitting key context. Leavitt amplified the charge, lamenting that her UK hotel stays with Trump are “ruined” by mandatory BBC broadcasts. “UK taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine,” she added, echoing Trump’s long-standing war on perceived media bias.
The White House’s rhetoric has struck a chord with Trump’s base, sparking a torrent of supportive posts on X. “Karoline Leavitt destroys BBC for lying and posting misinformation,” crowed one viral clip from conservative influencer @TONYxTWO, amassing over 3,000 likes. GB News piled on, with anchor Ben Leo decrying “mounting evidence of bias” in a segment that racked up nearly 7,000 engagements. Pro-Trump voices, including former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans, hailed her as a truth-teller against “fake news.”
Not so fast, say BBC defenders. The broadcaster swiftly clapped back via a video from analysis editor Ros Atkins, who labeled Leavitt’s claims “repeatedly false” and a “mix of misrepresentation and untruths.” Atkins argued the edits were standard for a 30-minute program condensing hours of material, and the full speech transcript was linked in the episode. This isn’t Leavitt’s first BBC beef; in June, she roasted the network for retracting stories on Israel’s Gaza operations, accusing it of uncritically parroting Hamas sources. Critics like X user @piyushmittal dubbed her “Bullshit Barbie,” accusing her of hypocrisy in a career built on Trump’s fact-checker nightmares.
The dust-up underscores deepening U.S.-U.K. media fault lines, especially as Trump’s second term ramps up tariff threats and NATO skepticism. Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast regulator, has received a spike in complaints, though sources say no formal probe is imminent. For Leavitt, it’s vintage Trumpism: Attack first, facts optional. As one X skeptic quipped, “Having serial liar Karoline Leavitt call the BBC ‘fake news’ is peak irony.”
In the end, the row may boost both sides’ profiles – the BBC’s impartiality badge burnished by the backlash, Leavitt’s star rising among MAGA faithful. But with global eyes on Trump’s agenda, one thing’s clear: When it comes to “fake news,” the battle lines are as redrawn as ever.
