Fox News' Jesse Watters forced into embarrassing walkback over Gavin Newsom claims
The host walked back accusations that the governor lied about a phone call with President Donald Trump during the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
'He didn't deceive anybody on purpose, so I'm sorry, he wasn't lying. He was just confusing and unclear. Next time, governor, why don't you say what you mean?' the MAGA-favorite said.
Last month, the governor filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Watters and Fox News, accusing Primetime of misleadingly editing a video of Trump to support the claim.
Newsom's attorneys said Watters aired a deceptively edited clip of Trump suggesting he spoke with the governor just before the president mobilized the U.S. Marines on June 9, when, in fact, records show the call occurred days earlier.
Newsom's lawyers argued in the complaint that by making the call appear more recent, Trump could falsely imply he and the governor discussed the troop deployment to LA.
The governor, however, had already said publicly that he spoke to Trump after midnight on June 7, and the military was not discussed.
Trump sent Fox News anchor John Roberts a screenshot showing the June 7 date of the phone call, but the image used on the show omitted the timestamp.
'Gavin lied about Trump's call,' the Fox News banner blared.
Newsom said they did not speak after June 7 and refuted the claim in a post on X.
'There was no call,' Newsom tweeted on June 10. '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.'
After filing the lawsuit on June 28 in a Delaware court, Newsom's lawyers said they would drop the case if the governor received a retraction and a formal on-air apology.
During his grudging apology Thursday, Watters told viewers he believed Newsom's X post asserted that the two had not spoken at all.
'We thought the dispute was about whether there was a phone call at all when he said without qualification that there was no call,' he said. 'Now Newsom's telling us what was in his head when he wrote the tweet.'
After Watters's concession, Newsom showed little sign of remorse or backing down.
'Discovery will be fun,' he said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. 'See you in court, buddy.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Florida school board chair apologizes after mocking Hulk Hogan's death on Facebook
A Florida school board chair has apologized for celebrating Hulk Hogan's death after writing on Facebook that there was now 'one less MAGA ' in the world. Sarah Rockwell, an elected Alachua County Public Schools board member, took a swipe at the late wrestling legend and longtime Donald Trump ally just hours after news broke last Thursday that he died from cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater Beach, Florida. 'Oh did Hulk die? I didn't even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world,' she said. In a follow-up comment, Rockwell posted that Hogan worked with WWE co-founders Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon, the education secretary, to 'union bust professional wrestling.' 'He's never been a good guy,' she continued. 'I feel absolutely nothing about his death.' Rockewell has faced a growing wave of backlash over her comments, including a scathing opinion piece in the Alachua Chronicle that argued she could be censured for violating the board's Standards of Ethical Conduct, which require members to 'value the worth and dignity of every person.' The Alachua County Republican Party accused Rockwell of having 'stomped on a man's grave over politics.' Raemi Eagle-Glenn, a Florida GOP State Committeewoman who Governor Ron DeSantis appointed to the Board of County Commissioners of Alachua County in 2022, called for Rockwell to 'RESIGN NOW.' 'Does Sarah Rockwell wish death upon the Trump supporting students and parents of Alachua County?' she added. Rockwell apologized on Saturday for her 'cruel and flippant' comments about Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea . 'A few days ago, I made a cruel and flippant comment from my personal Facebook account on a friend's post regarding the death of Hulk Hogan,' she wrote in her apology on Saturday. 'I want to make it very clear that I never have and never will wish harm on anyone regardless of whether we share political views. While I strongly disagree with some of the comments Hulk Hogan made, that is no excuse for my comment.' Rockwell expressed deep regret over the remarks and has since deleted the post. The school board chair said she was dismayed that her comment 'has eroded confidence in my ability to represent all students, families and staff' in the county. Hogan threw his support behind Trump after the then-GOP presidential candidate survived an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July last year. The wrestler decided to use his theatrical personality to officially endorse and advocate for Trump at the Republican National Convention. Hogan yelled into the microphone while ripping his shirt off with his bare hands to reveal a 'Trump Vance 2024' tank top underneath, flexing his muscles the entire time. Last week, Trump remembered his 'great friend' in a post on Truth Social, calling him 'strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.'
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Gaza, girders ...but no golf: Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump in Scotland to talk steel tariffs deal and Middle East violence amid Cabinet rift
Keri Starmer sat down with Donald Trump in Scotland today as he tries to gain the president's backing for ending tariffs on UK steel and the humanitarian crisis being perpetuated by Israel in Gaza. The Prime Minister travelled to one of Trump's Scottish golf courses amid a backdrop of issues both foreign and domestic to take up with the erratic world leader. Security is tight at Turnberry in Ayeshire where they are discussing how to continue putting into place the US-UK trade deal they signed earlier this year, as well as the Middle East crisis. Speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday, Mr Trump said he and Sir Keir would be 'fine-tuning' the US-UK trade deal when they meet in Scotland. But he downplayed the prospect on an agreement on steel, warning there was 'not a lot' of wiggle room on steel tariffs. Sir Keir and the US President struck a trade agreement to reduce tariffs on car and aerospace imports, but questions remain over whether UK steel imports into America will face 50 per cent tariffs. The PM's meeting with Mr Trump also comes amid growing global outrage at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while peace talks between Hamas and Israel came to a standstill last week. Some 255 MPs from nine parties have now signed a letter demanding the UK follow the lead of France and recognise a Palestinian state. And reports suggest the row over whether to do this stretches all the way into the Cabinet. But the PM's attempt to win over the president does not stretch to joining the golf-mad leader on the first tee. No 10 said there was no plan for the two men to play a round together. White House special envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for a 'lack of desire' to reach an agreement in the Middle East. Since then, Israel has promised military pauses in three populated areas of Gaza to allow designated UN convoys of aid to reach desperate Palestinians. But the UK, which is joining efforts to airdrop aid into the enclave and evacuate children in need of medical assistance, has said that access to supplies must be 'urgently' widened. Sir Keir is under increasing pressure from MPs and even his own ministers to recognise Palestinian statehood. It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will do so in September. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The US is the country 'with the leverage' to make a difference in the conflict in Gaza, the Business Secretary suggested this morning. Speaking to BBC Breakfast ahead of Sir Keir's meeting with Mr Trump, Jonathan Reynolds said: 'Of course, Gaza will be on the agenda today. 'The intolerable scenes that we're seeing, the world is seeing, are the backdrop to that. 'And of course, the US has itself secured on two occasions ceasefires in the conflict, so they have been actively engaged in it, working with Egypt, the Qataris, and other key partners in the region. 'The US is the country I think we'd all recognise with the leverage here to really make a difference on both sides. So their role is fundamentally important.' Mr Reynolds dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise'. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'. Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Mr Reynolds said: 'There's no split. The whole of the Labour Party, every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state, and we all want it to happen. 'It is a case of when, not if.' He added: 'It's about how we use this moment, because you can only do it once to have a meaningful breakthrough.' Mr Reynolds also admitted there is 'more to do' on the US-UK trade deal, but played down the prospect of a fresh announcement later. The Business Secretary said: 'We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy. 'But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn't job done. There's more to do. 'The negotiations have been going on on a daily basis since then. There's a few issues to push a little bit further today. 'We won't perhaps have anything to announce a resolution of those talks. 'But there's some sectors that we still need to resolve, particularly around steel and aluminium, and there's the wider conversation about what the US calls its reciprocal tariffs.' The US-UK agreement signed at the G7 summit last month slashed trade barriers on goods from both countries. But tariffs for the steel industry, which is of key economic importance to the UK, were left to stand at 25 per cent rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. Concerns had previously been raised that the sector could face a levy of up to 50 per cent - the US's global rate - unless a further agreement was made by July 9, when Mr Trump said he would start implementing import taxes on America's trading partners. But that deadline has been and gone without any concrete update on the status of UK steel. Sir Keir and Mr Trump are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine, which Downign Street said would include 'applying pressure' on Vladimir Putin to end the invasion. Speaking to journalists on Sunday about his meeting with Sir Keir, Mr Trump said: 'We're meeting about a lot of things. We have our trade deal and it's been a great deal. 'It's good for us. It's good for them and good for us. I think the UK is very happy, they've been trying for 12 years to get it and they got it, and it's a great trade deal for both, works out very well. 'We'll be discussing that. I think we're going to be discussing a lot about Israel. They're very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen. 'He's doing a very good job, by the way.' Mr Trump's private trip to the UK comes ahead of a planned state visit in September.
.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D0%2C5%2C0%2C5%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
White House reportedly told Pete Hegseth's team to stop doing polygraph tests after complaint
The White House has put a stop to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 's alleged use of polygraph tests in an attempt to root out leakers to the press, according to a new report. As Hegseth became embroiled in the Signalgate scandal, his team began administering polygraph tests in April to those in his inner circle, U.S. officials, and others with knowledge of the matter, according to The Washington Post. The White House's intervention came after Hegseth's senior advisor, Patrick Weaver, raised concerns to officials that he could be the next target of the defense secretary 's polygraph campaign, the sources said. Weaver, who held posts in the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council in Donald Trump 's first administration, allegedly grew irate after learning he might be ordered to take a polygraph test. Weaver remains an adviser to Hegseth, according to The Post. The alleged spate of polygraphs came during a tumultuous period where Hegseth fired three senior Pentagon appointees – Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick – who he accused of leaking classified and sensitive information to the media. The men deny any accusations of wrongdoing, and Hegseth's team has presented no evidence to back its claims. Just days later, the defense secretary was engulfed in Signalgate after top officials mistakenly included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat, giving him a front-row seat to discussions about impending U.S. strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen back in March. Multiple tests were carried out over several weeks, with approval from Hegseth and his private attorney, Tim Parlatore, the sources said. However, a Trump administration official intervened with a phone call, instructing the Defense Department to halt the campaign. Members of the Joint Service Interagency Advisory Group, a specialized Pentagon team assembled to address national security issues like drug cartels, had already been administered tests prior to Weaver's complaint, the sources added. Senior Hegseth advisor Colonel Ricky Buria took a polygraph test and received inconclusive results, the sources said, which officials first told the Guardian in May. Navy Admiral Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, have also faced the threat of polygraph tests, those with knowledge of the matter said. The Pentagon declined to provide a comment to the newspaper on reports of polygraph testing, citing an 'ongoing investigation.' 'The Fake News Media's obsession with months-old workplace gossip is a reflection of the sad and pathetic state of 'journalism' in Washington,' spokesperson Sean Parnell said. Despite facing multiple scandals, Trump continues to publicly support Hegseth. 'A lot of people swirl shit to try to take him down, honestly — but talk of drama with him is overblown,' a senior White House official told Politico on Monday. 'What I know is that everyone who matters has his back completely, currently.' However, some Trump allies and MAGA supporters have expressed concerns that the defense secretary's controversies could damage the administration's credibility. One source close to Hegseth said he is being urged to make peace with the employees he has ousted. 'If there's any chance at Pete resetting and ensuring that whatever time he has left in this position is well served, he's got to do it — otherwise Pete is just doubling down on the lie,' they told Politico.
