Former President Donald Trump has accused the BBC of harassing his family amid ongoing legal proceedings related to a $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The broadcaster has sought to subpoena Trump’s children—Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner—in a Florida court as part of the defamation case stemming from a 2024 BBC Panorama documentary.
The documentary examined the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, including excerpts from a speech by Trump prior to the incident. The program presented edited segments that critics say suggested Trump encouraged his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol after he lost the 2020 presidential election, although Trump had called for peaceful protests in the speech. Trump and his legal team deny the allegations and maintain that the documentary defamed the former president.
Trump’s legal representatives claim the BBC is using the deposition process to intimidate and harass Trump and his family, accusing the broadcaster of seeking to distract from its own legal exposure. A spokesman for Trump’s team said the BBC’s actions constitute an abuse of the legal process.
The BBC has dismissed the defamation claims, arguing that Trump’s family members have direct knowledge of the events surrounding January 6 and could provide relevant testimony regarding Trump’s intentions on that day. The case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2027.
In a related development, Jared Kushner was reported to be in Egypt on Wednesday, meeting with leaders of Hamas alongside former British Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair. The delegation, which includes Nickolay Mladenov, director of Trump’s Board of Peace, is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Their visit is viewed as part of efforts to uphold a peace agreement reached in October aimed at resolving ongoing conflict in the Middle East.