Trump: claims he pushed Xi for Jimmy Lai’s release and threatens to sue the BBC
Trump: In addition to announcing that he has personally urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to take into consideration the release of imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, US President Donald Trump announced that he intends to sue the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of using artificial intelligence to falsely attribute statements to him.
After a ceremony honoring US military veterans, Trump told reporters at the White House that the BBC had aired comments he never said, calling the incident a grave violation of journalistic norms.
Trump said, “They really put awful words in my mouth.” “They made me say things I never said.”
Trump implied that his remarks may have been fabricated or changed by artificial intelligence. He remarked, “I guess they used AI or something,” adding that the station had aired claims he denied uttering while ignoring what he claimed to be his true words.
Trump said that legal action would soon follow. He referred to the incident as “fake news” and said, “We’ll be filing that suit probably this afternoon or tomorrow morning.”
According to the President, the alleged deception concerned statements about the Capitol assault on January 6, 2021. Trump claimed that his “beautiful words talking about patriotism” were left out, saying, “They actually have me speaking with words that I never said.”
He said that the problem was now so obvious that it was recognized inside. Trump said, “I think someone at the BBC said this is so bad, it has to be reported.”
Trump’s remarks coincide with escalating discussions in the US and Europe on the use of AI in news production, including worries about phony text, audio, and video being passed off as factual reporting.
In response to a question on China and human rights during the same interview with reporters, Trump said that he had personally brought up the subject of Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with President Xi.
Trump claimed to have discussed the matter with President Xi. “I requested that his release be considered.”
Trump justified the request on humanitarian grounds. He said that he had directly expressed his worries to the Chinese leader, saying, “He’s an older man, and he’s not well.”
Press freedom organizations and Western governments have widely criticized the conviction of Lai, the creator of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, under Hong Kong’s national security statute.
Trump said, “We’ll see what happens,” when asked whether he anticipated a reaction from Beijing.
The President made no mention of how the imprisonment of Lai had impacted the US-China relationship, which is still tense due to issues with trade, technology, Taiwan, and human rights.