California Governor Gavin Newsom has initiated legal proceedings against Fox News, seeking $787 million in damages.
The lawsuit accuses the network of "deceptive editing" concerning a conversation he had with President Donald Trump during the Los Angeles immigration unrest. The legal action, filed on Friday, alleges that Jesse Watters, a prime-time host on Fox News, falsely claimed that Newsom lied about his communications with the President, who had dispatched National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier in the month.
As reported by Breitbart, the lawsuit contends that Watters' program manipulated a video of President Trump to bolster their narrative. This move by Newsom is notable, as politicians typically refrain from suing media outlets due to the high burden of proof required to win such cases. However, Newsom, known for his media-savvy approach and potential presidential aspirations for 2028, appears undeterred by these challenges.
In a statement shared on X, Newsom drew parallels between his lawsuit and the $787.5 million settlement Fox News reached with Dominion Voting Systems over alleged misleading reporting following President Trump's 2020 electoral defeat to Joe Biden. "If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trumps behalf, it should face consequences just like it did in the Dominion case," Newsom asserted in a statement to TheWrap. "I believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet. Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine."
The lawsuit details that Newsom last communicated with President Trump on June 7, in a 16-minute call that occurred a day after the President ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to address the anti-ICE protests.
The Wrap's coverage of the legal action highlights that on June 10, President Trump mistakenly stated he had spoken to Newsom "a day ago," a claim Newsom disputed. Watters subsequently questioned on air, "Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?" while displaying a screenshot of the June 7 call, which Fox News reporter John Roberts had obtained.
The crux of the lawsuit is that President Trump's erroneous recollection of the call's date was exploited to depict Newsom as dishonest in Watters' segment. Newsom's legal team argues that this allegedly misleading portrayal meets the criteria for defamation. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court, where Fox News is incorporated, and claims that the report damaged Newsom's reputation among voters, potentially affecting his future political prospects.
To succeed in a defamation case, plaintiffs must demonstrate that a media entity acted with malice, deliberately disregarding facts or evidence that would refute their statements. Historically, this has been a formidable challenge in court.
Nonetheless, Newsom's legal action underscores a broader concern about media accountability and the dissemination of truthful information to the public.
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