Gavin Newsom sued Fox News over Trump phone call. Read his full letter here
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Fox News of defamation over coverage related to a phone call with President Donald Trump.
In a letter sent to the television network’s general counsel on June 27, Newsom’s legal team alleged that Fox News and host Jesse Watters knowingly broadcast false and misleading information.
The letter, published in full below, sets out the basis for a $787 million lawsuit filed the same day in Delaware Superior Court.
Newsom is seeking a retraction and an on-air apology. His lawyers say the lawsuit will be dropped if Fox News meets those demands.
In a statement, Fox News said: “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.”
Why is Gavin Newsom suing Fox News?
Newsom alleges that Fox’s hosts misrepresented his call with Trump, falsely implying that the California governor lied.
Fox aired a suggestively edited segment, giving the impression that Trump had recently spoken to Newsom before deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles.
Newsom disputes this version of events, stating the call happened days earlier — June 6 or 7 — and did not involve discussion of the troop deployment.
The financial damages Newsom is seeking are identical to the amount Fox agreed to pay in 2023 to avoid a trial with Dominion Voting Systems, which sued the network for allegedly knowingly publishing lies that the voting system rigged the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden.
Newsom says he will drop his case against Fox News if the TV network retracts the claims and issues an on-air apology.
What does the letter say?
- The letter alleges that Fox News and host Jesse Watters defamed Governor Gavin Newsom by falsely stating he lied about not receiving a phone call from President Trump.
- It states that Trump and Newsom last spoke on June 7 at 1:23 a.m. ET, but Trump later claimed on June 10 that the call happened “a day ago,” which the letter says was untrue.
- According to the letter, Newsom publicly denied the recent call, posting that “there was no call. Not even a voicemail.”
- The letter claims Fox host John Roberts shared Trump’s call log showing the June 7 call, but left out the key fact that Trump was wrong about when the call happened.
- It alleges that Jesse Watters aired an edited clip of Trump’s comments that removed the incorrect “a day ago” line, and then accused Newsom of lying based on that edited version.
- The letter argues this meets the legal standards for defamation under California law, and also violates the state’s Unfair Competition Law due to unethical and misleading conduct.
- It states Newsom has filed a civil lawsuit but is willing to drop it if Fox News issues a retraction and formal on-air apology with equivalent airtime.
Read Newsom’s letter to Fox
You can read the full letter from Governor Newsom’s legal team to Fox News below. The text appears exactly as it was sent, without edits.
What happens next?
- Fox will now have to formally answer or challenge the complaint in court.
- Newsom’s team has offered to withdraw the lawsuit if Fox issues a public retraction and on-air apology.
- Because Fox is a Delaware-incorporated company, the case is proceeding in state court where the filing occurred.
- As a public official, Newsom must prove that Fox acted with “actual malice”, meaning they knowingly or recklessly aired falsehoods.
- This mirrors the Dominion Voting Systems case — where Fox News paid $787.5 million — suggesting Newsom is leaning on that precedent to increase pressure.
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which organized and summarized portions of the letter. It was edited by journalists in our News division.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 9:06 AM with the headline "Gavin Newsom sued Fox News over Trump phone call. Read his full letter here."
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