Donald Trump has accused the BBC of harassing his family in a defamation battle concerning a 2024 Panorama documentary. Lawyers for the broadcaster reportedly sought to subpoena Trump's children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, along with her husband Jared Kushner, to testify in a lawsuit.
Attempts to serve legal documents were allegedly blocked by the U.S. Secret Service. Trump's legal team contends that the BBC is abusing the deposition process to distract from its own liability in the case, stating, "The BBC intentionally defamed President Donald J. Trump, and now the BBC is seeking to harass him, his family and supporters by abusing the deposition process."
The legal dispute centers on a £7.4 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Trump against the BBC. The case stems from a 2024 documentary that examined events leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The program included spliced portions of a speech given by Trump before the riots, which his team argues created the false impression that he had encouraged his supporters to storm Congress. Trump's team maintains he called for peaceful protests.
The BBC has denied defaming Trump, with its lawyers arguing that his family members possess "personal knowledge" of the events surrounding the January 6 riots and could provide relevant testimony regarding Trump's intentions. The trial for the defamation case is scheduled to begin in February 2027.
In parallel, Jared Kushner was reportedly in Egypt meeting with Hamas leaders, accompanied by Sir Tony Blair and Nickolay Mladenov, director of Trump's Board of Peace. The group was also slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as part of efforts to stabilize a Middle East peace deal.