Gavin Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million, Claiming Network Defamed Him over L.A. Riots

California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for $787 million over its “deceptive editing” of a call he had with the president during the Los Angeles immigration riot.

The Newsom suit, filed Friday and reported by a variety of news outlets, charges that prime time host Jesse Watters claimed the governor lied about his phone calls with President Trump, who ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month.

Historically, politicians and lawmakers have avoided suing news outlets as the bar for winning is a high one and most consider unflattering or inaccurate coverage the cost of doing business in the political arena. But that didn’t deter the the media-conscious governor whom many expect to run for president in 2028.

Politico reported that Newsom’s lawyers argue the Watters’ program misleadingly edited a video of Trump to support their claim.

In a post on X, Newsom stated the request for $787 million in damages is similar to the $787.5 million settlement Fox made with Dominion voting systems for alleged misleading reporting in the wake of Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

“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 said 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.”

According to the lawsuit, Newsom last spoke to the president on June 7 for about 16 minutes in a call that came a day after President Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to counter protesters amid the anti-ICE demonstrations.

The Wrap’s coverage of the suit reported:

On June 10, the suit alleges, Trump said he spoke to Newsom “a day ago,” which Newsom pushed back against. Watters reportedly then asked on air, “Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?” while flashing a screenshot of Trump’s June 7 call with Newsom on the screen, which had been obtained by Fox News reporter John Roberts.

In short, the suit is alleging that President Trump’s mistaken memory for the date of the call was used to portray Newsom as a liar in the Watters’ segment.

Newsom’s attorneys say the allegedly misleading reporting fits the legal standard for defamation. The suit was filed in Delaware Superior Court, were Fox News is incorporated.

The suit also claims the report hurt Newsom’s standing in the eyes of voters, which could cost him in future elections.

In order to prove defamation, plaintiffs must show that a media member or outlet acted with malice to harm a public official’s reputation while totally ignoring facts or evidence that would prove their statements false.

That has traditionally been difficult to prove in court.

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.comfor more.