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"Cool dude, see you in discovery!" is the obvious UNO Reverse card to Trump's attempts to bully organizations by suing them for a trillion dollars. It's a massive indictment of the US system that one after another institutions and major organizations settled and paid bribes rather than play it.

Graham Lanktree@glanktree.bsky.social

President Donald Trump is seeking to stave off a court order that requires him to begin giving the BBC financial details on his business empire by Thursday in connection with a defamation lawsuit he is pressing against the network. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

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The U.S. companies folded (and paid bribes) because he has more power over them - to make laws in their favor or approve a merger or steer contracts their way. He has much less power over foreign companies. They can call his bluff. And it must drive him crazy.

The thing is the US institutions and what have you can ultimately be punished by Trump. Withdraw licenses, close premises, whatever. Trump doesn't have an ultimate sanction against the BBC that is scarier than having to justify to Parliament why they cost the British taxpayer billions.

(And therefore the BBC's incentive is to fight if they are likely to win, not to fold just to keep Trump's favour. They need Trump's favour a lot less than they need that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer)

"You did $500 billion of damage to my business interests." "Word? Which ones, dog?" "What?" "Which business interests? Name them. In detail. With receipts." "Um..."

Reputational damage is also fun: "I'm suing you for damage to my reputation!" "Cool. About that reputation: I shall be introducing into evidence the following truckload of articles and internet postings..."

some didn’t want to fight as it was just a way to bribe him, others probably worried about what (probably illegal but trump🤷🏻‍♂️) other things he could do to them, like license withdrawals or regulatory constraints placed upon them. Combination of complicity and cowardice. No such issues for the bbc.

If the BBC gets access to these records in the court process, are they allowed to use them for other purposes (ie reporting to the public), or do they have to keep them secret?

"Trump’s legal team is also asking the judge overseeing the lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, to overturn Lett’s order and to allow Trump to amend his lawsuit " 1

It’s the shake down strategy Roy Cohn taught him.

Ross Macfarlane@rossmacfarlane.bsky.social

It's long been clear that to understand Donald Trump, you need to know about his mentor and fixer, Roy Cohn. Excellent article in the @newyorker.com providing more color on their long relationship.