Trump ordered to deposition in BBC lawsuit; defends controversial ad featuring estranged mother

Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to appear for a deposition by December 11, 2026, as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett issued the directive, warning that failure to comply could lead to the dismissal of the lawsuit. Trump initiated the legal action in December 2025, alleging that a BBC documentary aired before the 2024 election misleadingly edited his January 6, 2021, speech to suggest he encouraged violence. The BBC has acknowledged an editing error and apologized, but disputes the defamation claim. Lawyers for the BBC had complained about Trump's delays in appearing for questioning, noting a previously scheduled October 16 deposition was canceled due to "matters of national importance," while Trump was reportedly campaigning.

In a separate development, President Trump publicly endorsed a controversial campaign advertisement from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad features Amy Acton's estranged mother, Donna Stearns Arthur, criticizing her daughter, who is Ramaswamy's Democratic opponent. Despite bipartisan backlash, including calls from Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine to remove the "deeply troubling" ad, Trump praised it as "very powerful" and urged Ramaswamy to continue airing it. Trump also criticized Governor DeWine, accusing him of wanting a Democrat to win. Ramaswamy's campaign has confirmed producing the ad and intends to spend $4 million to promote it.