Newsom sues Fox News for defamation over Trump phone call coverage
High-stakes clash between Trump and Newsom heads to court
The 9th Circuit Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a high-profile legal battle between President Trump and Governor Newsom over who has authority to control California’s National Guard.
OAKLAND, Calif. - California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, alleging the network aired false information about a phone call he had with President Donald Trump.
Clip aired during Jesse Watters Primetime show
What we know:
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware where Fox is incorporated, claims Fox News anchor Jesse Watters edited key portions of a clip featuring Trump speaking about his phone call with Newsom. The edited clip, according to the suit, was used to falsely assert that Newsom lied about speaking with the former president.
Newsom alleges the network deliberately mischaracterized him, damaging his credibility and political career.
Fox News responded in a statement Friday, calling the lawsuit a "publicity stunt."
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"Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him," the network said. "We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed."
The $787 million figure is identical to the amount Fox News agreed to pay in 2023 to settle a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems.
Newsom is asking the court to block the network from airing the video and any related statements he says are false. He also wants a retraction and an on-air apology.
Trump-Newsom phone call
Dig deeper:
Newsom’s lawsuit centers on the details of a phone call with the president.
Both Newsom and the White House have said the two spoke late at night on June 6 in California, which was already June 7 on the East Coast. Though the content of the call is not part of the lawsuit, Newsom has said the two never discussed Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard, which he announced the next day. Trump said the deployment was necessary to protect federal buildings from people protesting increased immigration arrests.
Trump later said he would also deploy Marines to the area.
When the Marines arrived on June 10, Trump told reporters he had spoken to Newsom "a day ago" about his decision to send troops. However, Newsom said otherwise.
"There was no call. Not even a voicemail," Newsom wrote.
That evening, the Watters Primetime show aired a clip of Trump’s statement but allegedly edited out the line in which Trump said the call occurred "a day ago," according to the lawsuit. Watters also referenced call logs, shared by another Fox News reporter online, that the call between Trump and Newsom had occurred on June 6.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Editor's Note: Fox News and KTVU share common ownership.