President Donald Trump wants the BBC to pay billions. Now he faces a deadline to answer its lawyers’ questions.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ordered Trump on Thursday to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 in his $10 billion lawsuit against the British broadcaster, according to Mediaite’s account of the proceedings.
The warning carries teeth: Failure to comply could bring sanctions, including dismissal of the case, unless the court extends the discovery schedule. The current deadline for completing discovery is Dec. 18.
The showdown follows Trump’s cancellation of an Oct. 16 deposition and months of legal combat over a BBC documentary that misleadingly stitched together portions of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech.q
A Fight Over The Calendar
BBC attorneys complained that they still had not questioned the president with roughly two months remaining in discovery, according to Mediaite.
Trump’s lawyers reject the suggestion that he is ducking testimony.
In an Oct. 21 court filing, his attorneys argued that presidential responsibilities forced the cancellation, citing the conflict in Iran, the Russia-Ukraine war and other national security and economic matters.
“Defendant is wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action,” they wrote.
His team proposed rescheduling for January 2027 and argued that the court should accommodate the demands of the presidency.
The judge’s order puts a December deadline ahead of that proposed January appearance.
The Edit That Ignited The Feud
The dispute centers on Panorama’s “Trump: A Second Chance?” documentary, which aired ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The program combined remarks from different portions of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech, making his reference to walking toward the Capitol appear directly connected to his later exhortation to fight.
Mediaite previously reported that the documentary also omitted his instruction for supporters to make their voices heard “peacefully and patriotically.”
The BBC eventually acknowledged that its editing gave viewers the mistaken impression that Trump had directly called for violent action. Chairman Samir Shah sent a personal apology, and the broadcaster said the documentary would not air again in that form.
The fallout reached the top: Director-General Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness resigned amid the controversy.
But the apology came with a firm legal boundary.
“We strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim,” the BBC said in a statement reported by ITV News.
Trump filed suit in December 2025, turning the editorial scandal into a multibillion-dollar courtroom battle.
A Big Demand — And A Narrower Claim
The case has already produced another contentious fight over what Trump must disclose.
In August, his lawyers withdrew allegations that the documentary harmed his businesses and brand after a judge ordered financial disclosures tied to those claims, according to Mediaite’s reporting.
“It is simply the reputational injury to the president, full stop,” his attorneys wrote.
Trump continued seeking $10 billion, while the BBC questioned how he could substantiate that amount after abandoning claims of business damage.
Now the president faces a more immediate requirement: making himself available for questioning in the lawsuit he brought.
