California Governor Gavin Newsom is in the middle of a high-profile public spat with Fox News host Jesse Watters. This blowup started when Watters distorted a call between Newsom and soon-to-be indicted former President Donald Trump. The firestorm flared up because of inconsistent reports about when the call happened. It took place just after midnight on June 7th. Newsom insists unequivocally that there was never any conversation about sending marines to Los Angeles. He staunchly took this argument to social media.
The conflict escalated when Trump publicly stated he spoke with Newsom “a day ago,” during which he criticized the governor’s handling of state matters, saying, “you’ve got to do a better job, you’re doing a bad job.” This statement followed Trump’s announcement that he was sending U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. California leaders were united and adamantly opposed to this controversial action.
Newsom had a strong retort for Watters’ remarks on Jesse Watters Primetime. He charged the Fox News host with willfully misrepresenting his reporting to suggest that he had misled about the phone call. Watters later issued an apology on air, clarifying, “‘Not even a voicemail’ – we took that to mean there was no call ever … We thought the dispute was about whether there was a phone call at all when he said without qualification that there was no call.”
Newsom’s legal team reviewed the situation and determined that Watters’ statements amounted to defamation. They intend to proceed with the lawsuit against Watters and Fox News. They assert the harmful misinformation aired on air distorted the facts related to the phone call in question.
“Discovery will be fun. See you in court, buddy.” – Gavin Newsom
The Los Angeles Times reviewed a letter from Newsom’s lawyers to Fox News, which stated that they would dismiss the lawsuit if the network admitted to falsely misrepresenting the timeline of the phone call. This legal threat underscores the seriousness of Newsom’s intent to protect his reputation against what he describes as misleading commentary.
Watters fanned the flames even further by highlighting this screenshot on his show. He even added a video clip that supported Trump’s assertions about the call. A stylized graphic that filled the bottom of the TV screen proclaimed, “Gavin Newsom lied on Trump’s call.” This one caused an even bigger blowback from Newsom’s side.
In an effort to clarify his position, Newsom took to social media, asserting, “There was no call. Americans should be alarmed that a president deploying marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.” This quote reveals his frustration with this statement, his judgement about the meaning behind Trump’s statement, and its potential effect on people’s perception.
As a result, tensions between Newsom and Watters seem to be building. Either way, both sides appear prepared for an extended courtroom fight over the truthfulness of the information in those disclosures. In fact, this dispute has the potential to mar both companies’ reputations for years. Importantly, it might lay the groundwork for changing the debate around salient political narratives in the press.