By Molly Claire Goddard
12:18pm PDT, Jul 1, 2025
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Gavin Newsom and Fox News are at war. After the Governor of California filed a defamation lawsuit against the right-wing news network for $787 million in damages for claiming he lied about a recent phone call with
Donald Trump, Newsom refuted their claim that his lawsuit was a way to "chill" free speech.
Keep reading to see what the Democrat said about the matter…MORE:
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Gavin Newsom pursued legal action against Fox News after host Jesse Watters said the leader of the West Coast state lied about an exchange he shared with Donald Trump in June. In response to the lawsuit, the right-leaning cable news channel said, "Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed."
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During an appearance on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast, Gavin Newsom criticized Fox News' response to his allegations that they lied about his correspondence with Donald Trump and highlighted how they had handled the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit similarly. "They knew they had lied in that original statement against Dominion," he said. "They're lying in this case. I mean, look at the chyron you just put up. [It] says, 'Gavin Lied About Call [With] Trump.' Period. Full Stop. I mean, I don't know what more smoking gun you need. … And so, look, this organization, it needs to be held to account. … I think what's so frustrating, I think for all of us, is they learned no lessons from that defamation case as it relates to Dominion. Nothing! They continue the practices that led to that record-breaking settlement. That's why this needed to be filed and that's why we felt compelled to make this case and to assert ourselves. Look, if they want to apologize, they can apologize, and if they want to hide behind these lies, they'll pay a price."
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Gavin Newsom claims in his lawsuit that the last time he spoke with Donald Trump was on June 7 — for about 16 minutes regarding the president's decision to send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to combat ICE protests. On June 10, Jesse Watters claimed Trump and Newsom had a conversation "a day ago." After filing the suit on Friday, June 27, the 57-year-old noted in
a statement, "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. 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."
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In 2023, Fox and Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787 million settlement in the company's defamation lawsuit. Gavin Newsom is now suing Fox for the exact same amount.
