Dutch author commissioned for prestigious BBC series brands Trump and allies ‘a bit fashy’ in explosive talks
The BBC has sparked fresh outrage from the White House after commissioning a prominent critic of Donald Trump to deliver its flagship Reith Lectures, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Dutch author Rutger Bregman used the high-profile platform to draw stark parallels between Trump’s America and the rise of fascism in the 1930s, according to audience members who attended the recordings.
In a lecture titled “A Time Of Monsters” – set to air next week – Mr Bregman reportedly described Mr Trump, Nigel Farage and tech billionaires including Elon Musk as “a bit fashy,” lumping them together as neo-fascist threats to democracy.
The White House has branded Mr Bregman “a rabid anti-Trump individual,” with communications director Steven Cheung saying: “The BBC has been caught red-handed doctoring President Trump’s remarks on multiple occasions so it’s no surprise that they have commissioned a rabid anti-Trump individual to deliver a lecture.”
The controversy deepens an already serious rift between the broadcaster and the US President, who last week announced plans to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion over misleadingly edited footage in a Panorama documentary.
‘GOOD VERSUS EVIL’
The decision to invite Mr Bregman – who has previously characterised opposition to Trump as a battle between “good and evil” – will intensify accusations of institutional left-wing bias at the corporation.
Nigel Farage responded forcefully, saying: “The BBC is diseased and needs radical surgery at every level, including the removal of the licence fee.”
Tory culture spokesman Nigel Huddleston added: “This is yet more evidence of the left-wing bias of the BBC. They just can’t help themselves.”
One audience member from the 500-strong crowd at the London recording told this newspaper: “It was made very clear that Trump was one of the monsters of the title.” Mr Bregman was reportedly cheered when he warned the world was on the cusp of neo-fascism.
The author went further during a post-lecture dinner hosted by then-director-general Tim Davie at Broadcasting House, where he discussed the need to organise a “resistance movement against populism” with invited guests including BBC historian David Olusoga.
CRISIS AT THE BBC
The escalating row has already claimed two major scalps, with Mr Davie and head of news Deborah Turness both resigning over the original Panorama editing scandal.
Some senior BBC figures are now discussing whether Trump references should be edited from the lectures before broadcast to avoid further White House fury, though this would raise questions about editorial independence.
Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya has described the talks as “a provocation,” adding that Mr Bregman “tells how we are in an age of crisis, but offering hope about where we could go.”
The Reith Lectures, which began in 1948 in honour of the BBC’s first director-general Lord Reith, have previously featured luminaries including Bertrand Russell, Stephen Hawking and Robert Oppenheimer.
In a Channel 4 interview earlier this year, Mr Bregman warned: “Europeans don’t realise how bad the situation is [in the US]. We are talking about the real chance of an authoritarian breakthrough in the next couple of years. This is not normal politics any more. This is not Left versus Right, this is good versus evil.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to discuss the BBC crisis with President Trump in a call this weekend.
Mr Bregman’s series of four lectures, collectively titled “Moral Revolution,” were recorded in London, Liverpool, Edinburgh and the US last month and are scheduled to air on Radio 4 from November 25.
Mr Bregman did not respond to a request for comment, while the BBC would not comment beyond confirming the broadcast date.
A BBC source said: “The Reith Lectures have a long tradition of showcasing leading thinkers from across the political spectrum. The views expressed are always those of the speaker, not the BBC, and they are discussed and challenged after the lecture.”RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
