Fox News Host Blindsided By $787M Lawsuit

Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit against Fox News for a total of $787 million, accusing the network of defamation. The suit accuses Fox host Jesse Watters of saying that Newsom lied about talking on the phone with President Donald Trump.

The claim in question was made on June 10. Newsom denied speaking with Trump on the phone, a claim contradicted by the president himself, who tweeted about the same conversation on the same date.

Gov. Newsom published a post of his own on X denying that the phone call took place.

“There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to,” Newsom said in a post on June 10.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in the Delaware Superior Court, Newsom says he spoke to Trump on the phone for 16 minutes on June 7, according to the Daily Caller.

A few days later, on June 10, during a segment on “Primetime with Jesse Watters,” the host displayed several images of a screenshot that Trump had shared with fellow Fox News host John Roberts, showing that the call took place on June 7.

The Fox News host then addressed the hoopla during the program.

“Newsom responded, and he said there wasn’t a phone call, said Trump never called him, not even a voice mail,” Watters explained to his audience.

“But John Roberts got Trump’s call logs, and it shows Trump called him late Friday night and they talked for 16 minutes. Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him? Why would he do that?” Watters continued.

Watters’ clip begins immediately after the president states that he spoke to Newsom “a day ago” when asked about their last conversation. Lawyers representing Newsom viciously assaulted Trump verbally in a letter written to Fox.

“It is perhaps unsurprising that a near-octogenarian with a history of delusionary public statements and unhinged late-night social media screeds might confuse the dates,” the letter read. “But Fox’s decision to cover up for President Trump’s error cannot be so easily dismissed.”

“Newsom, whose $787 million in sought damages is just half a million dollars shy of the $787.5 Fox paid to Dominion Voting Systems in a separate defamation settlement, would be willing to drop the suit if Fox retracted and Watters apologized to Newsom live on air, his lawyers reportedly told Politico,” the Daily Caller reported.

“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 POLITICO. “Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.”

Fox revealed that it will be fighting the lawsuit, according to a spokesperson who provided a statement to the Daily Caller.

“Gov. 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,” the statement said.