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Donald Trump has been ordered to hand over a trove of secretive financial records within 10 days in the latest twist in his explosive lawsuit with the BBC.

A federal magistrate judge sided with the British broadcaster, which is defending itself against the President's $10 billion defamation suit over his address on January 6.

The Trump Revocable Trust is the vehicle that holds the President's business interests while he is in office. The latest legal order opens the door to sweeping intrusion into his businesses.

Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett is requiring his trust to produce documents within 10 days.

The defamation case hinges on a 12-second edit of Trump's January 6, 2021 address, spliced together for a Panorama film broadcast weeks out from the 2024 election.

Viewers heard him say: 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol ... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.' The fight lines came more than 50 minutes later, which Trump says made it look like he incited the mob.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie quit in the fallout, and Chairman Samir Shah wrote to Trump last November admitting it 'gave the mistaken impression that you had made a direct call for violent action.'

The Trump trust is tied to nearly 400 entities, and Trump is its sole beneficiary, BBC filings state. His lawyers had dismissed the demand as a fishing expedition.

President Donald Trump speaks at the 'Stop The Steal' Rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021

The BBC says the records will show the President's wealth has climbed by more than $1 billion in the past year, contradicting his claim that the documentary cost him money, Bloomberg reported.

Trump can appeal to District Judge Roy Altman, whom he appointed. The BBC is separately fighting to have the case thrown out, arguing a Florida court has no jurisdiction over a TV show that never aired in the US.

'Considering the Trust's relationship to Plaintiff's alleged damages, the information the Trust possesses is relevant and material to any damages analysis Defendant may elect to conduct,' Judge Aytch wrote on Monday.

'Defendant's damage analysis is especially important to Defendant where Plaintiff now alleges $10 billion in damages.'

The broadcaster is also pushing to put Trump under oath. 'They have ignored our request to schedule the President's deposition,' Tobin said. 'They're dragging their feet on giving me a date.'

Last week, Trump's legal team tried to defuse the ruling by retreating, dropping the economic damage claims and pursuing only harm to his reputation.

Attorney Alejandro Brito said the President had shifted position since filing, describing the case as having 'evolved.' 'The damages are limited in a way that is different from when the case was originally filed,' Brito told the judge.

He added: 'Even if there has been a harm to the brand, we are not pursuing that as part of our damages ... It's a far more narrow scope of what this case is about.'

Lett said she had no power to strike the business claims herself.

BBC lawyer Chuck Tobin told her the distinction was meaningless. 'He ran for President of the United States on a platform of the art of the deal,' Tobin said. 'You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses.'