A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, after the broadcaster accused him of repeatedly delaying questioning in the case.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett issued the order after BBC attorneys earlier this week asked a Florida court to compel Trump to testify. BBC’s attorney argued the president’s failure to commit to a new date was jeopardizing the broadcaster’s ability to prepare its defense before discovery closes on Dec. 18.
Lett said Trump could face sanctions, up to and including dismissal of his lawsuit, unless he sits for a deposition or extends the discovery period.
The BBC’s lawyers said they had been seeking a deposition date since July and had reached an agreement with Trump’s legal team for Oct. 16. But Trump’s attorneys later canceled the scheduled appearance, citing “matters of national importance,” according to an Oct. 13 court filing.
“Two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” attorney Charle Tobin wrote.
Tobin argued that the delays had undermined the cooperative discovery process and prevented the broadcaster from gathering the evidence needed to defend itself.
According to the filing, Trump’s attorneys notified the BBC on Sept. 28 that the president was no longer available on Oct. 16 and said they would provide an alternative date by the end of the week. The BBC said no replacement date was provided. Trump’s legal team later indicated that he would not be available before the discovery deadline and proposed a deposition during the second or third week of January.
Trump sued the BBC in December 2025, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices over its documentary “Trump: A Second Chance.” The lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages and centers on the BBC’s editing of a speech Trump delivered near the White House Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021.
The documentary spliced together separate portions of Trump’s speech in a way that, according to the lawsuit, falsely portrayed him as encouraging violence before the Capitol riot. Trump’s 33-page complaint described the broadcast as a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump” and accused the BBC of attempting to influence the 2024 presidential election.
The BBC has apologized for the editing but maintains that the changes do not provide a valid basis for Trump’s defamation claim.
The dispute over Trump’s deposition is not the only fight over evidence in the case.
Earlier this month, the BBC subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump’s attorneys challenged the subpoena, arguing that Smith had no relevant personal knowledge of the speech or its preparation and was not present when Trump delivered it.