Watters Offers Qualified Apology to Newsom Amidst Trump Call Dispute
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Jesse Watters of fox News has issued a qualified apology to california Governor Gavin Newsom following a public disagreement over a phone call between Newsom and former President Donald Trump. The controversy centers on the timing and content of a conversation that occurred after Trump’s remarks about deploying Marines in Los Angeles.
The Genesis of the Dispute: Trump’s Claims and Newsom’s Rebuttal
The public spat ignited when Donald Trump told reporters on June 10 that he had spoken to Governor Newsom “a day ago,” urging him to “do a better job.” This statement created the impression that the call took place on the same day 700 Marines were deployed in Los Angeles.Governor Newsom, however, vehemently refuted this claim. In a post on X, Newsom stated that he had spoken to Trump after midnight Eastern time on June 7, and that the National Guard was not a topic of discussion. He asserted that no further conversations had occurred between them.
“Ther was no call,” Newsom posted on X. “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’s legal team further alleged in a complaint that by making the call appear more recent, Trump aimed to suggest that they had discussed the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, a topic they maintain was never raised.
Fox News’s Presentation and watters’s clarification
Trump later provided Fox News anchor John Roberts with a screenshot of the June 7 phone call’s date stamp. Watters presented this evidence on his program, suggesting that Newsom had been untruthful in his denial of speaking with Trump.
During his show,Watters played a clip of Trump’s June 10 comments about the call,notably omitting the part where Trump mentioned speaking to Newsom the previous day. A banner accompanying the clip declared: “Gavin lied about Trump’s call.”
on Thursday, Watters clarified his interpretation of Newsom’s X post, stating his belief that Newsom’s statement implied no call had occurred at all.
“‘Not even a voicemail’ - we took that to mean there was no call ever,” Watters explained to his viewers. “We thoght the dispute was about whether there was a phone call at all when he said without qualification that there was no call.”
A “Confusing and Unclear” Statement
Watters continued, “Now Newsom’s telling us what was in his head when he wrote the tweet. 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.”
This statement represents a partial retraction of Watters’s earlier assertion that newsom had lied, shifting the focus to Newsom’s perceived lack of clarity rather than intentional deception.
The Shadow of the Dominion Lawsuit
The article also draws a parallel between the current dispute and a previous defamation case involving Fox News. In 2023, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million. This settlement followed allegations that the network had aired false claims suggesting that Dominion’s voting equipment was manipulated to favor President Biden in the 2020 election. The mention of this figure in the context of the current dispute highlights the significant financial and reputational stakes involved in defamation claims against media organizations.