A federal magistrate judge in Miami has ordered President Donald Trump to hand over financial records held by his revocable trust to the BBC, as the British broadcaster defends itself against a $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The ruling, issued on Tuesday, also permits the BBC to subpoena several of Trump’s close associates and family members—including Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Steve Bannon—for communications related to the January 6 Capitol riot and the “Stop the Steal” rally. The order marks a significant procedural step in a case that pits the sitting US president against a foreign public broadcaster, with the discovery process now set to probe the financial and operational inner workings of the Trump Organization.

Trump’s legal team, led by Alejandro Brito, argued that the lawsuit has “evolved” to focus on reputational harm rather than economic loss, and described the BBC’s document requests as “oppressive” and a “fishing expedition.” The BBC’s counsel countered that the president’s own claim of financial damage makes the trust’s records directly relevant, and noted that Trump’s side had produced only 735 pages of material, largely news articles, compared to the 87,000 pages the corporation has submitted. The case stems from a 2024 Panorama documentary that edited a clip of Trump’s speech before the Capitol breach; the BBC’s chairman later apologised for the editing, which he said unintentionally gave the “mistaken impression” that Trump directly called for violence. The broadcaster has separately moved to dismiss the suit, arguing the programme was not aired in the United States.

The Florida proceedings unfold alongside a separate dispute over the scope of presidential immunity. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, during his Senate confirmation hearing, stated that the Justice Department still considers an IRS settlement agreement—which bars criminal or civil action against Trump and his eldest sons for pre-2023 conduct—to be in effect. This is despite a July ruling by Judge Kathleen M. Williams, who found the deal should never have been reached because Trump and the IRS he controls were not genuine opposing parties, and ordered the government not to invoke it in official proceedings. Blanche told lawmakers the department is “reviewing” the order and weighing a response. Viewed from Washington, the standoff injects further uncertainty into Blanche’s confirmation, with Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, conditioning his support on modifications to the immunity deal and a related $1.776 billion fund.

In a third legal front, Trump is seeking an emergency injunction to force writer E. Jean Carroll to return $5.6 million she has already collected from a court-controlled escrow account, following a jury’s finding that he sexually abused and defamed her. Carroll’s attorneys argue the judgment is final and that Trump’s continued defamatory statements subject her to ongoing harassment. The president’s petition for a Supreme Court rehearing in the related $83.3 million defamation case—which he says will raise “important questions concerning Presidential immunity”—is cited as grounds to delay the disbursement. Legal analysts in New York note that the high court rarely grants such rehearing petitions, and that the justices recently declined to review the $5 million case without any recorded dissent.

The convergence of these cases illustrates the legal pressure on a sitting president who is simultaneously a defendant, a plaintiff, and the head of the executive branch. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche’s nomination next week, a tally that could fail if a single Republican joins unified Democratic opposition. In Miami, the judge’s discovery order can be appealed, while the BBC’s motion to dismiss remains pending. The Supreme Court has not indicated when it will rule on the rehearing petition in the Carroll matter, leaving the status of the $5.6 million award in limbo.