US judge orders Trump to testify in BBC defamation case by Dec 11

MIAMI: A US judge on Thursday set a Dec 11 deadline for President Donald Trump to testify under oath in his US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

Judge Enjolique Lett in Miami issued the order in response to complaints by the British broadcaster that Trump had refused to sit for a deposition, including cancelling a previously agreed date of Oct 16.

If Trump fails to attend the deposition by the deadline, he risks sanctions, including dismissal of his lawsuit, the court said.

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 the formal certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory.

While the BBC has apologised for the incident, which prompted the resignation of multiple senior executives, the broadcaster has denied causing Trump any real injury and has sought to have the case dismissed.

Trump filed his lawsuit against the BBC in December 2025 and is seeking at least US$5 billion on each of two counts.

Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the BBC, told the court that Trump had no real excuse for not testifying and that on Oct 16, he had only been campaigning, "participating in party politics".

"No plaintiff is above the law," Tobin said.

In a court filing on 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.

Trump has made attacks on the media a signature of his two presidential terms, insulting reporters who ask questions he does not like and seeking to bar outlets airing critical reports from the White House.

Most recently, the administration has become embroiled in a legal dispute with CNN, MSNOW and Politico over attempts to bar them from the White House.

With his approval ratings in the low 30 per cent range and polls showing his Republican Party likely to lose control of the House of Representatives in the Nov 3 midterm elections, Trump faces increasing headwinds as he approaches his final years in power.