I Sued You. Please Stop Asking Me Questions.

Donald Trump wants at least $10 billion from the BBC. According to the broadcaster's lawyers, he cannot find a date to answer its questions before discovery closes. The complaint has a dollar amount. The plaintiff's availability remains an emerging field of study.

The BBC's October 13 motion asks the Southern District of Florida to make Trump confirm a date, identify a secure location and sit for a deposition in the lawsuit he filed last December. It says his lawyers agreed to October 16, then canceled on September 28 because of "other matters of national importance." The attached email confirms that explanation and a promise to try to supply a replacement date that week.

According to the BBC, the eventual offer was the second or third week of January 2027, conditional on extending discovery. No specific day. The existing deadline is December 18, already extended by an August court order. Seven BBC witnesses have been deposed, the broadcaster says. Apparently, the discovery process has excellent reception in one direction.

The BBC did give Trump something legitimate to complain about. Its 2024 Panorama documentary joined excerpts from his January 6 speech. In its November 2025 retraction, the broadcaster acknowledged that the edit misleadingly appeared to be a continuous passage and gave the mistaken impression of a direct call for violent action. It apologized, called the edit unintentional and said it would not rebroadcast the program in that form. That is a serious editorial failure, not a typo requiring unusually expensive stationery.

It is also not a judicial finding of defamation. The BBC disputes liability. Trump's amended complaint demands at least $10 billion; a demand is not an award. His legal team's response to the Associated Press accused the BBC of defamation and election interference but did not explain the scheduling delay.

A president's calendar and security arrangements deserve accommodation. A real national obligation can displace a deposition, and offering January is not refusing ever to testify. The BBC itself acknowledges the extra planning. Its lawyers agreed to keep the location private and asked what information the security detail needed. Nobody has established that the cited national matters were fictitious. The problem is the proposed accommodation: the plaintiff's testimony would arrive after the court's deadline for gathering evidence.

The BBC wants to question Trump about the message of his January 6 speech, including his intent. Its motion asks to address the dispute at an October 22 discovery hearing. The public docket reviewed lists the request, not an order granting it or approving January. This remains a scheduling fight, not a verdict on either party's honesty.

But the burden of getting this case ready is already lopsided on the BBC's account. Its witnesses answer questions while its lawyers pursue an appointment with the man demanding billions. Trump chose the lawsuit. Presidential duties can justify moving the meeting. They should not make the defendant responsible for locating a plaintiff who was available to sue it.

I Sued You. Please Stop Asking Me Questions.

Sources