Trump cancels BBC defamation lawsuit deposition: 'Unavailable because of matters of national importance' | Hindustan Times

President Donald Trump has canceled a scheduled deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). His lawyers told the courts that he is unavailable because of “other matters of national importance.”The move has prompted the BBC to seek judicial intervention, arguing that the president cannot indefinitely delay questioning after choosing to file the lawsuit himself.According to a court filing submitted Tuesday, Trump was due to be deposed on Oct. 16. However, his attorneys informed the BBC on Sept. 28 that the president could no longer attend. They later advised that Trump would remain unavailable until at least mid-December and proposed rescheduling the deposition for January. The BBC has now asked US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett to address the issue during a hearing scheduled for next week. The broadcaster wants the court to compel Trump to provide a firm deposition date before the discovery deadline expires.Also read: Why has Donald Trump sued BBC for $10 billion? January 6 speech edit row, explainedWhy did Trump cancel the deposition?Trump’s legal team said the president could not appear because of “other matters of national importance.” The filing did not identify those obligations or explain why they prevented him from participating in the sworn testimony.The BBC argued that Trump’s explanation is insufficient given the stage of the litigation. Attorney Charles Tobin told the court that nearly eight months of discovery have passed and seven BBC witnesses have already been deposed.“Nearly eight months into discovery, after seven depositions of BBC witnesses, and with only two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” Tobin wrote in the filing.He added that there is “hardly a more crucial and relevant piece of discovery in a defamation lawsuit than the deposition of the Plaintiff.”According to the filing, both sides agreed in July to hold the deposition on October 16. They also agreed to keep its location and logistics confidential for security reasons. The BBC said Trump’s lawyers withdrew from that agreement weeks before the scheduled testimony.A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team defended the decision, saying the lawsuit is “holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”Also read: BBC defends documentary facing $10 billion defamation suit from Donald Trump, but admits to 'misleading' editWhat is the lawsuit about?Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2025, accusing the BBC of defaming him through a documentary about the 2020 presidential election. He alleged the program edited footage from his Jan. 6, 2021, Ellipse speech to make it appear that he directly encouraged the violence at the US Capitol.The BBC later apologised for the editing and acknowledged that it may have created a mistaken impression. However, it maintained that the juxtaposition of the clips was inadvertent and has denied defaming Trump.Trump initially sought $10 billion in damages, claiming harm to his brand, businesses and properties. After the BBC sought financial records related to those claims, Trump narrowed the lawsuit to focus solely on alleged reputational damage.