A federal judge has mandated that President Trump must sit for a deposition with lawyers representing the BBC by December 11, as part of his ongoing $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett established the deadline during a hearing held in Miami on Thursday morning. The judge's order stipulates that Mr. Trump must answer questions by the specified date or face potential penalties, which could include the dismissal of his lawsuit against the BBC. This deadline is contingent on whether the period for both the president and the network to gather information in the case is extended.
The ruling follows Mr. Trump's failure to appear for a previously scheduled deposition on October 16. His legal team had informed the BBC late last month that he would not be available, citing "due to other matters of national importance." However, the BBC informed the court that on the day of the missed deposition, Mr. Trump instead spoke at a rally in Georgia alongside GOP candidates for the Senate and governor, and subsequently attended an event for the Republican National Committee at his South Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Mr. Trump had offered to be available for the deposition in the second or third week of January. Lawyers for the broadcaster had previously requested the judge to compel Mr. Trump to confirm a date for the deposition and answer their questions, arguing that he is "the most central figure in this case."
In a court filing, BBC lawyers emphasized the importance of the plaintiff's deposition in such a case, stating, "There is hardly a more crucial and relevant piece of discovery in a defamation lawsuit than the deposition of the Plaintiff. For that reason, a plaintiff's unwillingness to sit for a deposition can be perilous to his claim." They also noted that nearly eight months into the discovery process, which began in February and is set to conclude on December 18, they still had not spoken with Mr. Trump or secured a schedule to question him.
Mr. Trump filed his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC in December, alleging defamation over a documentary. The documentary, which aired in October 2024 just weeks before the presidential election, featured spliced-together portions of a speech he delivered outside the White House on January 6, 2021. Mr. Trump claimed the documentary misled viewers and falsely depicted his remarks to supporters. Following that speech, a crowd of his supporters marched to the U.S. Capitol and breached the building, where lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence were gathered to reaffirm the results of the 2020 election.
The BBC, in November 2025, stated it "sincerely regrets" how the clip of Mr. Trump's speech was edited and apologized to the president, but disagreed that there was a basis for a defamation claim.
During Thursday's hearing, lawyers for the BBC and Mr. Trump were also slated to discuss the network's subpoena for deposition testimony from Jack Smith. Mr. Smith is the former special counsel who brought criminal charges against Mr. Trump in 2023 related to alleged efforts to subvert the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election. Those charges were dismissed after Mr. Trump was elected to a second term in 2024.
The BBC, in defending its subpoena for Smith's testimony, asserted in a court filing that the former special counsel could provide insights into matters concerning Mr. Trump's January 6 speech, including whether the president was aware his remarks could incite violence. The network also indicated that Mr. Smith does not object to the subpoena. However, Mr. Trump's lawyers countered this, refuting the idea that Smith possesses personal knowledge about the president's speech or his state of mind at the time. They further argued that Smith's testimony would be "duplicative," given that he authored a final report on his investigation and testified twice before Congress about his case against Mr. Trump.
A spokesman for the president's legal team, in a statement, did not directly address the judge's demand for a deposition. Instead, the spokesman stated that Mr. Trump's "powerhouse lawsuit is holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing."
