President Donald Trump has backed out of a scheduled deposition for his defamation case against the BBC, which is now trying to compel the commander-in-chief to sit for a court-ordered interview.
Trump sued the BBC in December, claiming the network defamed him and violated Florida’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act in a documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?,” which was broadcast in the United Kingdom in October 2024. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The British broadcaster said in court filings this week that it repeatedly tried to contact Trump’s counsel to schedule a deposition, and both parties eventually agreed to hold it this Friday. Trump’s attorneys informed the BBC they’d “begin the process of advising those who are responsible for handling the president’s schedule and security detail,” adding that the location and time would be provided later.
But Trump’s attorneys told the BBC on Sept. 28 that the president would no longer be available because of “other matters of national importance” and said they’d identify a replacement date within a few days.
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Trump’s attorneys then said they’d make the president available during the second or third week of January, but did not provide a date.
Lawyers for the BBC decried the cancellation in a court filing this week, reminding the president that he “chose to file this lawsuit and, in doing so, he accepted the obligations of civil litigation.”
In July, Trump identified himself as the only person outside of the BBC and its independent contractors “likely to have any discoverable information that is relevant to the disputed facts in this action,” the filing states.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Sun.
Trump’s case centers on the claim that the documentary misled voters by editing his speech.
In the documentary, Trump is heard telling supporters, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
But the president didn’t make those comments in that order, Trump’s attorneys argued.
“This fabricated depiction of President Trump during the Speech was false, deceptive and defamatory,” attorneys wrote.
They further noted the BBC omitted additional remarks, including, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
In Trump’s complaint, the president wrote that he brought the action forward for compensatory and punitive damages for the extensive “reputational harm inflicted upon him by the defendants.”
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