BBC tries to subpoena Trump's family in defamation case
Trump claims the BBC is now further defaming him by involving his family and "abusing the deposition process."
The BBC has sought to subpoena members of Donald Trump's family to testify in its defence of his multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster.
Court documents show that the BBC attempted in May to serve subpoenas to his son Donald Trump Jr, his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, the BBC reports.
Trump alleges the BBC defamed him by editing together parts of his January 6, 2021 speech, which included his call for supporters to march on the Capitol and his “fight like hell” comments, while omitting a section urging peaceful protest.
The BBC has previously apologised for the edit, but denied it was grounds for defamation.
In a statement to the BBC this week, a spokesperson for Trump said the broadcaster had "intentionally defamed" the president, and its subpoena request was now "seeking to harass him, his family, and supporters by abusing the deposition process".
"The BBC is simply trying to distract away from their own obvious liability," the statement said.
However, the BBC insists the subpoenas are for family members with "personal knowledge" of Trump's intentions in delivering the speech.
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
The court has allowed the subpoenas to be served electronically, after multiple service attempts in person failed.
In one instance, a representative for the BBC's legal team tried to deliver a subpoena for Ivanka and Kushner at their home in Florida, but was denied entry by security.
Another attempt two days later was also unsuccessful, with staff claiming no one was available to accept the documents.
The BBC's response to Trump's defamation lawsuit
In November 2025, Trump sent an official letter to the BBC threatening legal action, prompting the resignations of two senior BBC executives.
The BBC has apologised to Trump, admitting their editing gave the mistaken impression that he had directly called for violence from supporters.
In January this year, the broadcaster moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Trump cannot demonstrate any actual harm, so there is no legal basis for the defamation claim.
“As Plaintiff failed to plead actual damages, claiming only vague ‘harm to his professional and occupational interests,’ his claim fails,” the BBC argued.
More from Mediaweek
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
