One of President Donald Trump’s own lawsuits is forcing him to expose his finances, according to new reporting.
A federal magistrate judge in Florida ruled on Tuesday that Trump has to turn over detailed financial information to the BBC, according to reporting by Politico. Trump is suing the BBC for defamation because of how a documentary framed his January 6 speech.
After a three-hour hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett found that Trump’s financial information was fair game for the BBC to explore because his lawsuit put his businesses’ reputation at issue. The ruling opened the door for the BBC to look at the financial information of more than 400 companies owned by a Trump family trust, Politico reported.
“All of President Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are impugned or said to have been impugned,” Lett said. “Reputational, economic damages, all of that is now at issue in this case.”
Politico noted that Trump can still appeal the decision to U.S. District Court Judge Roy Altman, who is a Trump appointee, but Trump attorney Alejandro Brito declined to comment on whether they will appeal.
Trump sued the BBC in December over a 2024 documentary that edited part of his January 6, 2021, speech where he said “fight like hell.” Trump argued it made him sound like he was calling for violence and that it damaged his reputation.
According to Politico, Trump’s lawyers tried to avoid the ruling that exposed his finances to the BBC by dropping the assertion that the documentary had caused him economic injuries and diminished the value of his companies.
Trump attorney Alejandro Brito said during the Tuesday hearing that the president’s approach to the case has “evolved,” and he is now focused on pursuing claims of damage to his reputation, not his business.
“The damages are limited in a way that is different from when the case was originally filed,” Brito said. “Even if there has been a harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages.”
The BBC’s lawyer, Chuck Tobin, noted that Trump “ran for president of the United States on a platform of the art of the deal,” turning Trump’s reputation against him in the case. “You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses,” Tobin said.
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