Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787M over Trump call claims

California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for $787 million over what he says was a false claim about his communication with President Trump during recent protests in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit centers on Fox News host Jesse Watters' on-air statement that Newsom lied about a phone call with Trump regarding the deployment of the National Guard. As reported by NBC News, the dispute began when Trump told reporters he had called Newsom "a day ago."

Newsom responded on X: "There was no call. Not even a voicemail."

Watters then aired a segment questioning, "Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?" while displaying a banner reading "Gavin Lied About Trump's Call." The lawsuit claims Fox "operates as a propaganda machine for President Trump's radical right-wing agenda."

"By disregarding basic journalistic ethics in favor of malicious propaganda, Fox continues to play a major role in the further erosion of the bedrock principles of informed representative government," the lawsuit states, as quoted by NBC News.

The case echoes Fox's recent $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems regarding coverage of the 2020 election. Newsom's legal team warned they would proceed unless Fox issues "a formal retraction and on-air apology."

Fox News dismissed the lawsuit as "a transparent publicity stunt" that aims to "chill free speech critical of him," stating they will "defend this case vigorously."