California's Governor Newsom filing defamation suit against Fox
3 Min Read
Newsom is accusing Fox of deceptively editing footage and falsely claiming he lied about his phone call with the YS President following Los Angeles anti-ICE riots.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Association of Realtors Legislative Day in Sacramento, California on April 27, 2022. (AP)
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he is suing Fox News for $787 million, accusing the network, specifically host Jesse Watters, of deceptively editing footage and falsely claiming he lied about his phone call with President Trump following the June Los Angeles anti-ICE riots.
Newsom declared on X: "No more lies. I’m suing Fox News for $787 million."
He asserts that if Fox retracts the accusations and Watters offers a public apology, he will drop the lawsuit, echoing legal consequences similar to those in the Dominion case.
"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 was quoted as saying in a report.
"Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine."
Tensions between the White House and California surged on June 10, as US President Donald Trump floated the idea of arresting Newsom over his handling of the Los Angeles protests. The move drew sharp rebuke from Newsom, who accused the president of trampling constitutional norms and veering into authoritarianism.
The confrontation erupted following Trump’s decision to unilaterally deploy National Guard troops and now the Marines, with 700 troops deployed as confirmed by the military, to Los Angeles in response to protests sparked by a controversial ICE operation targeting undocumented immigrants. Local officials say the federal response was launched without California’s consent, aggravating an already volatile situation on the ground.
Confirming the deployment, the US Northern Command said in a statement, "Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 in the Los Angeles Area."
You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep.
, Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025
Here they are , being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another.
If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/4i8VIiYZLr pic.twitter.com/sUYD2KHu6O
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn, Trump casually mentioned that if he were former ICE Director Tom Homan, “I’d arrest Newsom,” calling the idea “great". The remark, made just hours after Homan dismissed any actual plan to detain the governor, immediately triggered alarm across political circles.
Homan later clarified on Fox News that there had been no active discussions about arresting public officials, though he stressed that “no one is above the law.” He insisted that while protesting is constitutionally protected, obstruction of law enforcement could warrant legal action.
