Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in lawsuit

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in lawsuit Image source, Kent NISHIMURA / via Getty ImagesByBernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter Published22 October 2026Updated 42 minutes agoA US judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his defamation lawsuit against the by 11 December. Trump is suing the over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the US Capitol in 2021. Trump cancelled a previous deposition - or interview under oath - on 16 October, citing "matters of national importance".

But a lawyer representing the said in court that Trump was campaigning in Georgia that day and had "prioritised that" over answering the questions. President Trump's lawsuit against the is in the phase known as "discovery", where the two sides provide internal or other records that could form evidence. Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the , told a court in Miami on Thursday that with two months left in the discovery period, Trump had still not completed a deposition.

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The judge in the case, US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, said that Trump must sit for the deposition by 11 December, unless the discovery period is extended. In US law, a deposition is an out-of-court statement made under oath in response to questions, which is recorded for use in later proceedings. Typically, depositions take place in a lawyer's office - rather than a courtroom - without a judge physically present.

Depositions, however, carry legal weight and take place under oath. They are recorded verbatim by a court reporter, and the transcripts can later be used as evidence during trials. In defamation cases, lawyers for both sides are normally present for depositions.

Last week, lawyers asked that Lett compel Trump to face deposition after the last scheduled meeting did not take place. On that day, Trump attended a midterms campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia and a fundraiser at his property in Mar-a-Lago in Florida. In a separate filing on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers said that the president could appear for the interview between 11 and 22 January next year, and claimed that the was "wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action.

" Trump's lawsuit - filed in Florida - accuses the of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech he gave outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021. The apologised for the error and said that the broadcast gave "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action". The broadcaster has since asked that the court dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the programme does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.