President Trump faces a Dec. 11 deadline to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation suit against the BBC.
Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett handed down the ruling Thursday after BBC attorneys complained the president had been stalling his appearance. Trump had originally agreed to be deposed on Oct. 16 but missed that date, claiming a “matter of national importance.”
“He was participating in party politics and prioritized that over sitting for the deposition,” an attorney for reports said, according to the AP.
The missed October date and subsequent delay prompted the British broadcaster’s legal team to push for a hard deadline. Should Trump fail to appear by Dec. 11, his defamation case could be dismissed unless he successfully extends the discovery phase.
Trump filed the massive lawsuit last year targeting a 2024 documentary that examined his remarks to supporters at the White House ellipse before the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol. The program spliced together different sections of his speech, and the former president contends the editing made it appear as though he actively encouraged the riot.
The $10 billion price tag makes the case one of the most ambitious defamation actions ever launched by an American political figure against an international media organization. The BBC, Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster, has defended its journalism in the documentary.
The litigation sits at the intersection of presidential politics, press freedom, and the boundaries of documentary filmmaking. Trump’s legal team has not indicated whether he will comply with the December deadline or seek additional delays from the court.
The case joins a broader pattern of Trump using the courts to challenge media coverage he disputes, though the scale of the damages sought here far exceeds typical defamation claims. The discovery phase remains active as both sides prepare for the scheduled deposition.