Donald Trump’s legal team has rejected a request by the BBC to hand over financial information as part of his $10bn defamation case against the broadcaster. The US president’s lawyers accused the BBC of a “fishing expedition” after the broadcaster asked for details to support Trump’s claims of reputational and financial harm from a Panorama documentary about the US Capitol riots.
The BBC had spliced together two parts of a speech made by Trump on 6 January 2021, leading him to accuse the broadcaster of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” his words. The documentary, broadcast in October 2024, included a clip suggesting Trump told the crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.” The BBC later retracted it and apologised, saying it would not be shown again.
According to court documents lodged in Miami, Florida, the BBC asked for financial papers on the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which holds the president’s business interests and assets. Lawyers requested records showing income, assets and properties, as well as listing hundreds of companies under the trust. Trump’s lawyers called the request “disproportionate” and said it encompassed individuals and entities with no connection to the dispute, amounting to “tens of thousands of documents” within an “unreasonable” 30-day timeframe.
Filings in May showed Trump’s legal team had made 503 requests for documents, and the BBC had turned over 45,000 pages, while Trump had produced none. Trump’s lawyers have argued the documentary caused “direct harm” to his brand, properties and business. In March, the BBC asked a US court to throw out the lawsuit, saying it would have a “chilling effect” on reporting and denying it damaged his reputation as it aired shortly before his re-election and was not shown in the US.
The Financial Times reported that Trump’s team had attempted to delay the case and requested a change in judge. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the BBC had “intentionally and maliciously defamed” the president and that “President Trump will continue to hold accountable the BBC and all those who traffick in fake news.”
