A judge has ordered President Donald Trump to hand over financial records from his trust within 10 days, dealing a major setback in his $10 billion (£7.5 billion) defamation lawsuit against the BBC. The case centers on a 12-second edit of a speech Trump delivered on January 6, 2021, which was included in a Panorama documentary broadcast shortly before the 2024 election.
BBC edit of January 6 speech
BBC viewers heard Trump say: 'We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.' However, the remarks about fighting were delivered more than 50 minutes after the earlier lines. Trump claims that joining the two sections together made it appear as if he had incited supporters to storm the Capitol building. BBC chairman Samir Shah wrote to Trump in November and acknowledged that the edit 'gave the mistaken impression that you had made a direct call for violent action.' Director General Tim Davie resigned amid the fallout.
Judge rules on financial records
Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett sided with the broadcaster, which argues that the documents are relevant to Trump’s claim for damages. But she limited the scope to records dating back to January 1, 2023. The Trump Revocable Trust holds the president’s business interests while he’s in office. According to BBC filings, it’s linked to nearly 400 entities and names Trump as its sole beneficiary. The BBC believes that the records will demonstrate that President Trump’s wealth has risen by more than $1 billion in the past year, according to Bloomberg. It argues that this would contradict the economic-loss claim originally made in the case.
Trump’s legal team shifts strategy
Trump’s lawyers had described the BBC’s demands as 'a fishing expedition.' His legal team has also attempted to narrow the scope of the case. Attorney Alejandro Brito told the court they were no longer pursuing claims of economic damage and would focus exclusively on alleged harm to his reputation. 'The damages are limited in a way that is different from when the case was originally filed,' he said. 'Even if there has been a harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages … It’s a far more narrow scope of what this case is about.'
Judge Aytch Lett said she didn’t have the authority to strike the business-related claims herself. She ruled that the trust’s information remained relevant to any assessment of damages the BBC might conduct. 'Considering the Trust’s relationship to Plaintiff’s alleged damages, the information the Trust possesses is relevant and material to any damages analysis Defendant may elect to conduct,' she wrote on Monday. 'Defendant’s damage analysis is especially important to Defendant where Plaintiff now alleges $10 billion in damages.'
BBC argues reputation and business are linked
BBC lawyer Chuck Tobin rejected the attempt to draw a line between Trump’s reputation and his businesses. 'He ran for President of the United States on a platform of the art of the deal,' he said. 'You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses.' The broadcaster is separately seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. It argues that the Florida court doesn’t have jurisdiction because the programme wasn’t aired in the US and it wasn’t defamatory under the law. Trump can appeal the order to District Judge Roy Altman, whom he appointed. The BBC is also seeking to question the president under oath as part of the proceedings.
Heckler disrupts Trump event
Questions surrounding Trump’s reputation were also aired during a visit to a General Motors facility in Milford, Michigan, on Monday. A heckler repeatedly shouted 'Pedophile protector!' as the president defended his economic record. Trump initially raised his voice while the crowd responded with chants of 'USA!' He smirked before replying: 'He’s a Communist! He’s a Communist! Thank you. He’s a Communist, we’re running against Communists. What’s going on? This is great.' Trump predicted 'we’re gonna win very big' before claiming that he 'didn’t even hear the guy.' The protester appeared to be referring to complaints over the release of files connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump says he removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago more than two decades ago and ended their friendship. The president has denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and hasn’t been charged with any offence relating to Epstein or the files. The heckler was removed by several sheriff’s deputies as members of the crowd applauded.
