EXCLUSIVE: How Ivanka Trump and Don Jr. Avoided Being Served in Dad Donald's BBC War
Ivanka Trump and Don Jr. are at the center of the BBC’s subpoena battle in their father's defamation war.
Aug. 18 2026, Published 7:40 p.m. ET
The BBC went to extraordinary lengths in its failed attempts to serve subpoenas on Donald Trump's children, Ivanka and Don Jr., as part of the president's legal war against the broadcaster, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to court documents obtained by Radar, process servers attempting to reach the president's eldest kids encountered police checkpoints, Secret Service protection, and Trump Tower security – leaving the BBC unable to personally serve either of them.
BBC Asking for Judge's Help to Serve Trump's Kids
The BBC is now asking a federal judge about alternative methods of serving subpoenas to Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump
The broadcaster is now asking a Florida federal judge to authorize alternative methods of serving subpoenas on Don Jr., Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner.
The subpoenas are part of Trump's defamation lawsuit against the BBC over a 2024 documentary that included an edited clip of his January 6, 2021, speech. The 80-year-old claims the edit falsely implied he "incited" or "fomented" the violence that followed at the U.S. Capitol.
Court records reveal the BBC first attempted to serve Ivanka and Kushner at their Florida home on May 9.
Secret Service Blocks Access
BBC first attempted to serve Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their Florida home on May 9.
A process server reported arriving at a police checkpoint outside Indian Creek Island at 10:49 a.m., where an officer allegedly said Secret Service clearance would be necessary to access the island and the couple's property.
Minutes later, the officer allegedly told the server Secret Service had denied service and instructed the BBC's attorneys to coordinate through the federal agency. But that route also hit a dead end.
In a May 14 email included as an exhibit, a Secret Service attorney told the BBC's legal team the agency was not authorized to accept the subpoenas for Ivanka or Kushner and could not advise the lawyers on how to successfully serve them.
Donald Trump Jr. Avoids Being Served
Ivanka Trump's brother Don Jr. (far right) proved similarly difficult to reach.
Don Jr. proved similarly difficult to reach. A process server attempted to deliver legal documents to him through the Trump Organization's offices at Trump Tower in New York on May 20.
The server reported gaining access to the building and speaking with a concierge, who called the person who normally accepts service. No one answered, and the concierge suggested the person may have been at lunch. The process server returned two days later.
This time, according to the server's report, security said the legal department was not there and refused to allow the server upstairs. The attempt was ultimately recorded as: "NON-SERVE – Security will not allow access." The BBC claims it subsequently tried another route.
Trump Refuses to Help
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The president's counsel allegedly refused to help serve his children.
Attorney Maxwell Mishkin said in a sworn declaration that the broadcaster approached Trump's attorneys on July 29 and asked them to accept the subpoenas on behalf of the three family members.
When that was rejected, the BBC asked Trump's side to direct the Secret Service to permit service, according to Mishkin. Trump's counsel allegedly rejected that request as well and declined to consent to the BBC's request for alternative service.
Now, after months of unsuccessful attempts, the BBC wants the court to end the process-server runaround by allowing the subpoenas to be delivered through other means — including certified mail or through Trump's attorneys.
