A US judge has ordered Donald Trump to testify by Dec 11 in his US$10 billion lawsuit against the BBC over the editing of a documentary about the Jan 6 Capitol riot.
US President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn while returning to the White House after traveling to South Carolina, in Washington, DC, US, Oct 21, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
23 Oct 2026 03:06AM
MIAMI: A US judge on Thursday (Oct 22) issued President Donald Trump a Dec 11 deadline to testify under oath in his US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
Judge Enjolique Lett in Miami gave the order in response to complaints by the British broadcaster that Trump has refused to sit for a deposition, including cancelling a previously agreed date of Oct 16.
Trump has accused the BBC of deceptively editing its documentary "Trump: A Second Chance" to make it seem as if he was inciting violence when he told supporters to march on the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, after losing the presidential election.
The crowd proceeded to storm Congress in an attempt to stop certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory.
While the BBC has apologized for the incident, which prompted the resignation of multiple senior executives, the broadcaster has denied it caused Trump any real injury and moved for the case to be dismissed.
Trump filed his suit against the BBC in December 2025 and is seeking at least US$5 billion each for two counts.
Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the BBC, said in court that Trump had no real excuse not to testify and that "no plaintiff is above the law."
In a court filing Wednesday, Trump's legal team argued that he was not seeking to avoid a deposition but had been constrained by "matters of national importance."
The lawyers said Trump would be able to give a deposition between Jan 11 and 22.
Source: AFP/fs