Newsom Shuts Down Bill Maher for Comparing Him to Trump
The Daily Beast • • nation
Key Points:
- California Governor Gavin Newsom defends his political style of mimicking Donald Trump's tone and tactics as a way to "put a mirror up" to the former president, a strategy that has boosted his standing in the 2028 Democratic field.
- Bill Maher criticized Newsom for imitating Trump's confrontational style, especially highlighting Newsom's $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News as resembling Trump's own media battles.
- A Delaware judge recently allowed Newsom's defamation case against Fox News to proceed, rejecting the network's First Amendment defense and opening the door for discovery that could reveal internal communications.
- The lawsuit alleges Fox News knowingly distorted Newsom's account of a phone call with Trump and falsely accused him of lying, with the $787 million figure matching the amount Fox paid in a previous defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
- Newsom insists the discovery phase could pressure Fox News to settle or apologize, while Maher remains skeptical, pointing out the irony of Newsom's tactics mirroring those of Trump.
