In seeking to have the case dismissed, it contended that its edits condensed a 70-minute speech, which the judge rejected.BBC ‘surprised by decision’However, the broadcaster continues to deny it defamed the president.Following the ruling, a BBC spokesperson said, “We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court’s authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage. We remain confident in our position and will continue to respond through the proper legal process.”In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump called the latest ruling a “huge victory against Fake News BBC”.After skipping his scheduled October deposition to hit the midterm campaign trail, the president faces a court-ordered December 11 deadline to testify under oath or risk having his defamation lawsuit against the BBC thrown out.The original lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami in December 2025, sought a minimum of $5bn in damages each for alleged defamation and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The judge threw out the second claim on Tuesday.The dispute over the edited speech, featured on the BBC’s Panorama show shortly before the 2024 presidential election, prompted a public relations crisis for the broadcaster, leading to the resignations of its two most senior executives.The BBC case is one of several that Trump has privately filed against the press, as part of a wider pressure campaign targeting coverage he dislikes.Across multiple jurisdictions, his attorneys have pursued staggering financial penalties against major news organisations and publishers.The president is currently enmeshed in another $10bn defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal that he refiled in May after it was previously dismissed. A judge dismissed the refiled suit on October 31, and Trump is appealing.
Another defamation case seeks $15bn in damages from The New York Times and Penguin Random House, a book publisher.In September, the president also moved to bar CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House and its press pool – a blanket ban a federal judge later blocked, though the outlets have continued fighting ongoing exclusions from Air Force One and the Oval Office.