Mike Pence

A federal magistrate judge in Miami ruled that President Trump must sit for a deposition with BBC lawyers by Dec. 11 or risk penalties, including possible dismissal of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. Trump had skipped a scheduled Oct. 16 deposition, citing other commitments, and proposed mid-January instead; BBC lawyers argued the delay was untenable given his central role in the case.

The suit stems from a 2024 BBC documentary that spliced portions of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech, which he claims misrepresented his remarks and amounted to election interference. The BBC has apologized for the edit but disputes any defamation. The hearing also addressed a BBC subpoena seeking testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith, which Trump's lawyers oppose. Discovery is scheduled to close Dec. 18.