California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing Fox Information for $787 million for defamation.
Newsom’s allegations stem from Fox Information host Jesse Watters’ protection of the battle between the governor and President Donald Trump when the Trump administration sent the California National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this month.
Watters allegedly reported on Fox Information that Newsom lied a few telephone name with Trump, and the governor claims in his lawsuit that Watters’ present misleadingly edited a video of Trump to help the declare.
Trump, requested by a reporter on June 10 when was the final time he had spoken to Newsom, replied, “A day in the past. Known as him to inform him, bought to do a greater job, he is doing a foul job” — although, in response to Newsom, the final time that they had spoken was three days previous to that, at 1:28 a.m. ET on June 7, and Newsom mentioned that they had not mentioned the protests in query.
After Newsom asserted on X that the 2 had not spoken on June 9 as Trump appeared to have mentioned, Watters, in response to the lawsuit, accused Newsom of mendacity and performed the video clip of Trump telling the reporter the 2 had spoken — however edited out the beginning of the clip the place Trump mentioned “a day in the past.”
“If Fox Information desires to mislead the American individuals on Donald Trump’s behalf, it ought to face penalties — similar to it did within the Dominion case,” Newsom mentioned in an announcement Friday, referring to the 2023 settlement Fox reached with Dominion Voting Techniques — additionally for $787 million — after the voting machine firm accused Fox Information of knowingly pushing false conspiracy theories that Dominion rigged the 2020 presidential election in Joe Biden’s favor.
“I imagine the American individuals ought to have the ability to belief the knowledge they obtain from a significant information outlet,” Newsom mentioned in his assertion. “Till Fox is prepared to be truthful, I’ll hold combating in opposition to their propaganda machine.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom responds to questions throughout a press convention in San Francisco, June 12, 2025.
John G Mabanglo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
In a letter despatched to Fox, Newsom’s attorneys mentioned that until Fox Information points a retraction and an on-air apology, “we’ll proceed with the lawsuit so {that a} jury can decide Fox Information’s culpability and assign a financial worth to its ‘blatantly unethical’ conduct.”
Fox Information, in an announcement, mentioned, “Gov. Newsom’s clear publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to sit back free speech crucial of him. We’ll defend this case vigorously and sit up for it being dismissed.”
