Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787M in defamation case over Trump call

[calguy]

Gavin Newsom is taking a page right out of Donald Trump’s media playbook.

The California governor accused Fox News of defamation in a lawsuit Friday morning, alleging the network should fork over $787 million after host Jesse Watters claimed Newsom lied about his phone calls with Trump, who ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles this month. Newsom’s lawyers argue Watters’ program misleadingly edited a video of Trump to support the claim.

“If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case,” Newsom told POLITICO in a statement. “Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/27/newsom-sues-fox-news-defamation-case-00429168

[BoRaGard]

1. He must have the tapes

or he wouldn't file the suit.

Fox republican lies gonna burn.

[newdeal2]

4. Or following Trump

Just complain loud enough and you’ll get a settlement.

[tinrobot]

15. He absolutely has the tapes and they would become public if the case moves forward.

Newsom already talked about the conversation. He said he wouldn't release the tapes out of respect for the office.

But if a lawsuit required that he did? Well, gosh, he can't deny a court order. He'll have to let the world hear them.

Brilliant move.

[Attilatheblond]

29. Only a total fool would have a phone call with Trump and not record it all. Newsom is NOT a fool.

Oh, I hope FOX decides to go to trial so Newsom can roll the tape for all of us to hear.

[orangecrush]

37. THIS

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. I think 787 is the amount Fox settled to pay Dominion in that lawsuit. (not sure) . . . .nt

[Just Jerome]

11. Correct!

[swong19104]

21. He needs to sue for triple that

and negotiate down to around that amount.

[IbogaProject]

41. Let's not second guess his legal team

I want this case to prevail.

[Exp]

30. Coincidence? Perhaps. Exactly what I was thinking. nt

[Doodley]

3. Gavin Newsom sets the example of how to fight this fascist regime and its propaganda.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Gav the Gov is showing the mettle Dems will need in 2026 and 2028

He's very articulate, picks big and timely issues, and makes good trouble. Ding, ding, ding.

[democratsruletheday]

34. Gonna have to agree with you bucolic....

I'm warming to him slowly but I still worry he's too good looking, intelligent and liberal to win over most of the white, knuckle dragging, self loathing "independents" that voted the Orange POS in twice. I'm fine with him, but them? Yeesh....

[thought crime]

55. Who wouldn't be too good looking, intelligent and liberal to win them over ?

[Hornedfrog2000]

6. FINALLY

Jesus effin christ. It takes a liberal billionaire 10 years to fight fire with fire. Sue the fuck out of them. Tie up their lawyers in meaningless litigation, slow or stop them! Make accusations and dare them to sue you over them. Bring discovery, lets open their closets and show the world!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Who is the "liberal billionaire" you opaquely reference? It's not Newsom. . . . nt

[Hornedfrog2000]

23. Omg semantics

Does it matter??? This right here, this is part of the problem. Fight the people who dont agree with 99% of your points of views. I couldnt tell you if he is or is not a billionaire, there, ya won.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Not fighting / "semantics". Simply like to know "liberal billionaire" you reference? Newsom not even close to billionair

[JoseBalow]

39. I was also wondering who is this mystery billionaire supposed to be

[Hornedfrog2000]

56. Oooooh

Ok. Gotcha. Cut out the billionaire part and insert super rich white guy? Feel better? Jesus effin christ.

Also, facts clearly do NOT matter in this country. Prove me wrong.

[emulatorloo]

31. Facts matter. Facts are not "semantics."

[newdeal2]

24. How about George Soros?

Their favorite boogeyman.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Soros is not suing Fox. . . . nt

[AlexSFCA]

53. but he should consider it

[anamnua]

54. He could well be a liberal billionaire

by the time this is all over.

[surfered]

7. Glad it was Jesse Watters.

[GaYellowDawg]

20. Me too!

He's the only person in the world who can give Ted Cruz serious competition for "world's most punchable face."

[surfered]

28. 😁

[Jerry2144]

44. IQ 45.47 is on that punchable list, too

Backpfeifengesicht is Rump's middle name

[ShazzieB]

45. I don't know...

Pete Hegseth is giving both of them a lot of competition for that title these days. RFK Jr too.

Cruz is still in first place, but imo, the other 3 are in a dead heat for second place, imo.

On 2nd thought, add Vance to make it a 4 way dead heat!

1st place: Ted Cruz
2nd place: 4 way tie with Watters plus Trump's veep and 2 of his cabinet members.

On third thought, let's line them up and punch them all!

[Gimpyknee]

8. Great news!

[SpankMe]

9. Newsome probably won't win

Or, it'll peter out after a few years of back and forth.

But, it's still a good thing to do. It's pushback. It's noise. It's protest. It's action. I endorse it.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Newsome isn't suing. Newsom is suing.

Respect includes spelling people's names correctly. I don't respect Kegsbreath, but I respect Gavin Newsom. Consider yourself spanked.

[SpankMe]

14. LOL...I feel spanked

I live in Cali and I know how Newsom is spelled. I honestly don't know how that extra 'e' got in there. Must have been a jittery middle left finger on the keyboard. I've been using that finger a lot lately to greet my Republican acquaintances.

[LittleGirl]

16. probably autocorrect!

That program is the shit. Always making up words I didn't type and changing it. I proofread everything before I post now. ugh.

[Celerity]

40. No 'the'. A 'the' changes the meaning to the opposite of what you meant.

That program is the shit.

That means it is great, when you meant it is shite, dross, pants, etc.

[LittleGirl]

47. I guess it does change the meaning

I meant, it's garbage, a time waster and I'm ready to shut it off but can't spell worth a shit lately. lol

[tinrobot]

17. I think it's more about an excuse to release recordings of the conversations.

In a press conference, Newsom said he has recordings of those conversations. He also said he won't release them.

A lawsuit would be the perfect venue to release them and have Trump's stupidity and grift exposed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. Good insight. You could be right. . . . nt

[JustAnotherGen]

13. I like this

I'd like to see more of it.

Congresswoman LaMonica McIver should be suing Fox, OANN, etc etc for their slurs, lies, and defamation.

The more cases we have against the Propagandists the easier it will be to outlaw these organizations when the Regime falls and we become America again.

[KPN]

18. Awesome. Fighting fire with fire. At this point, the only thing that might extinguish flames of propaganda.

[Martin68]

19. Go for it! Fox disinformation and lies is the number one reason Trump is president.

[Joinfortmill]

27. Good.

[maliaSmith]

32. Gavin Sues Fox for lying

I'd like to see other Democrats sue Fox for all the lies they spew. Gavin has balls while the rest of them don't.

[oasis]

33. Please lemme be on the jury. I promise to listen

to all the evidence before making a decision.

[Calista241]

35. Is this about when exactly the call was?

And Trump, in comments on a Monday, published a screenshot of a call on Friday / Saturday but used the word ‘yesterday’ to describe it?

The whole event he was talking about went down later on Saturday / Sunday anyway.

[sunflowerseed]

36. Power to the People!

[Catherine Vincent]

38. That's right!

Sue their lying asses.

[Hekate]

42. Go, guv!

[CatWoman]

46. Gavin Newsom's Lawsuit Against Fox News Is Petty, Petulant -- and Pretty Damn Perfect

Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News. On its face, it looks like a political stunt. And make no mistake — it is. But that doesn’t make it any less brilliant.

On Friday, as reported by The New York Times, California’s glossy-haired governor filed a lawsuit in Delaware (where Fox is incorporated), accusing the network of defaming him over its coverage of a phone call with President Donald Trump. The suit seeks a Dominion-sized $787 million in damages — and, crucially, a court order barring Fox News from broadcasting segments that falsely claim Newsom lied about speaking to Trump.

In other words, Gavin Newsom is suing Fox for doing what Fox News does best: distorting reality for political sport.

If you think this seems small and unserious, you are right. But it’s no less absurd than Trump’s legal actions against any number of media outlets he disagrees with, and far more substantive than the crackpot $20 billion suit against 60 Minutes. And that seems to be precisely the point. If Trump can change the rules of engagement, then Newsom will play by the same rules, even if the underlying dispute is murky.

The governor’s legal team even sent Fox a letter demanding a formal on-air apology and retraction from Watters, with a tidy little ultimatum: do that, and we’ll drop the suit. No apology? See you in court.

Look, no one expects this case to end with a giant check or a weepy Watters apology. But that’s not the point. Newsom’s lawsuit is about something else entirely: flipping the MAGA playbook on its head.

For years, Trump and his allies have used the courts as a cudgel against media outlets. They’ve filed frivolous suits not to win, but to chill coverage, drain resources, and send a message. Just this year, Trump launched lawsuits against CBS, ABC News, and even The Des Moines Register. These aren’t legal strategies. They’re intimidation campaigns dressed up as torts.

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/gavin-newsoms-lawsuit-against-fox-news-is-petty-petulant-and-pretty-damn-perfect/

[CrispyQ]

52. ...flipping the MAGA playbook on its head.

We need waaay more of this!!!

[rainy]

48. What if we form a citizens front against Fox for falsely

claiming to be news and proceed with clear evidence of the damage it has caused us collectively!

[Jacson6]

49. They did not accuse Newsom of a criminal act.

In the voting machine cases Fox did accuse them of criminal and civil violations.

IMHO.

[bucolic_frolic]

50. Misleadingly edited a video, just like the CBS Harris interview.

Yes, Gov Newsom is correct, two can play this game.

[Evolve Dammit]

51. Good