Trump Must Testify Under Oath in $10 Billion BBC Lawsuit
A judge warns the case could be dropped if the president keeps delaying his sworn questioning.
Trump – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit. The order came on Thursday and sets a firm deadline of December 11.
US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett made the ruling after the BBC complained about repeated delays. The judge also warned that ignoring the order could bring penalties.
Those penalties may include sanctions. In the worst case, the court could dismiss the whole case.
This has surprised many people. After all, Trump started the lawsuit himself. Yet the rules say a person who sues must also face questions from the other side.
The sworn questioning is called a deposition. Lawyers ask questions, and the witness answers under oath. It usually happens outside the courtroom, but the answers can be used later in the case.
Trump was first set to give his deposition on October 16. He cancelled and said he had matters of national importance to handle.
The BBC’s lawyers did not accept that reason. They told the court the president attended political campaign events in Georgia on the same day.
The broadcaster also said Trump’s team wanted to push the questioning to January 2027. That would be a problem because the evidence-gathering phase is set to end on December 18.
The dispute began with a BBC documentary. It joined separate parts of Trump’s speech from January 6, 2021, the day his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
The edit made it seem that Trump had directly urged his followers to use violence. The BBC later apologised for this, and two senior executives resigned.
However, the BBC says the program did not legally defame Trump. It plans to fight the claims in court.
Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025. He asked for $5 billion for defamation and another $5 billion for alleged unfair trade practices. Together, that makes the $10 billion BBC claim.
The BBC is also looking for testimony from Jack Smith. He is the former special counsel who investigated Trump’s actions around the Capitol attack.
Trump’s lawyers oppose that request. They argue Smith has no firsthand knowledge that matters to this dispute.
The judge also made another ruling in the BBC’s favor. The broadcaster may now get Mar-a-Lago membership records.
The BBC wants these records to test Trump’s claim that the documentary hurt his reputation. If his membership stayed strong, that could weaken his argument.
For now, all eyes are on December 11. If Trump appears, the case moves forward. If he does not, he risks losing his own lawsuit.
The matter also raises a bigger question. A sitting president rarely sits for sworn questioning, so this order is unusual and will be watched closely.
Neither side has said what happens next. Further court filings are expected in the coming weeks.
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