The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s defamation suit against the BBC is not yet a full-blown evidence war. The case was filed in December 2025 over a documentary edit of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 speech, and the court has now set a provisional trial date for Feb. 15, 2027 while the BBC pushes to get the case thrown out. citeturn0search0turn0search1

That puts the lawsuit in early pretrial motion practice, not in completed or clearly underway discovery. The BBC has argued the Florida court should not hear the case, including on the ground that the documentary was not aired in Florida or elsewhere in the United States. Trump’s side says the edit was defamatory and central to the harm it claims. citeturn0search1turn0search0

The distinction matters. Before discovery can start in earnest, the court has to decide whether the suit stays alive past the jurisdiction and dismissal fight. If it does, the next phase would open the door to records, depositions, and other evidence tied to how the segment was produced, what was said about it, and where it was shown. citeturn0search0turn0search1

For now, though, the case is still at the gate. The judge has let it proceed for the moment and has put a date on the calendar, but the dismissal motion has not yet been finally resolved in the reporting cited here. That leaves the lawsuit in a narrower, earlier posture than a discovery fight suggests. citeturn0search0turn0search1