California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News on June 27, 2025, alleging the network falsely portrayed him as lying about a phone call with President Donald Trump during protests in Los Angeles earlier that month.
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court where Fox News is incorporated, centers on coverage by host Jesse Watters regarding the timing of communications between Newsom and Trump during immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles. The requested damages mirror exactly the $787.5 million Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation case over election misinformation.
According to court documents, Newsom last spoke with Trump for approximately 16 minutes by phone on June 7, 2025, at 1:28 a.m. ET, one day before the president deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the governor’s objections. The filing states that during this conversation, Trump did not discuss the demonstrations in Los Angeles or the National Guard deployment, and when Newsom attempted to address the situation, Trump steered the conversation away from the topic.
The controversy arose on June 10 when Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had spoken with Newsom “a day ago,” implying the conversation occurred on June 9, the same day 700 U.S. Marines were deployed to Los Angeles. Trump indicated he had called the governor to tell him he needed to do a better job and was causing potential death.
Newsom quickly refuted Trump’s claim on social media platform X, posting minutes later that there was no call and not even a voicemail. The governor stated that Americans should be alarmed that a president deploying Marines onto the streets doesn’t know who he’s talking to.
That evening on June 10, Watters aired an edited clip of Trump’s remarks during “Jesse Watters Primetime” that removed the president’s claim about speaking to Newsom “a day ago.” The lawsuit alleges Watters then reported that Newsom had denied any phone call occurred, while simultaneously displaying a screenshot of Trump’s call history obtained by Fox host John Roberts, which showed the last call between the two men was indeed on June 7, as Newsom had claimed.
Watters then asked viewers why Newsom would lie and claim Trump never called him, while an on-screen banner read “Gavin Lied About Trump’s Call.” Newsom’s attorneys argue this coverage meets the legal standard for defamation and could harm the governor’s standing with voters in future elections.
The lawsuit also alleges violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, which prohibits deceptive and unfair business practices. Newsom’s legal team includes Mark Bankston, who previously represented Sandy Hook families in their defamation case against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, securing a $49.3 million verdict in 2022.
In a statement, Newsom indicated that “Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf.” He expressed his belief that Americans should be able to trust information from major news outlets and vowed to continue fighting against what he characterized as Fox’s propaganda machine until the network is willing to be truthful.
Fox News dismissed the lawsuit as frivolous in a statement, characterizing it as a transparent publicity stunt designed to chill free speech critical of the governor. The network stated it would defend the case vigorously and looks forward to its dismissal.
Newsom’s attorneys sent a letter to Fox News on June 27 offering to drop the lawsuit if the network retracts its claims and Watters issues a formal on-air apology. The letter warned that without such action, they would proceed with the lawsuit so a jury could determine Fox’s culpability and assign monetary damages.
The governor is suing in his personal capacity rather than as a state official, with his campaign account covering any potential fines or penalties. His representatives indicated that any proceeds from a successful case would be distributed to anti-Trump causes.
The legal action comes amid ongoing tensions between Newsom and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles. The protests in question began after Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted operations on June 6 that resulted in 44 arrests, including two minors, with only five arrestees reportedly having criminal histories.
This lawsuit follows a pattern of recent high-profile defamation cases involving major media outlets. Trump secured a $15 million settlement from ABC News in December 2024 over George Stephanopoulos’ statements, and has filed an unresolved lawsuit against CBS over alleged interview manipulation during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Public officials face an extremely high legal standard to prevail in defamation cases, as established by the U.S. Supreme Court in New York Times v. Sullivan six decades ago. The case adds another layer to the complex relationship between Newsom and Fox News, where the governor has appeared multiple times over the years while simultaneously criticizing the network’s editorial direction.