No, Fox News didn't report Newsom wants to remove Trump's name from future ballots | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Fox News reported California Gov. Newsom asked for bill to remove Trump’s name from future ballots

An Aug. 21 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims the leader of one of the country's most populous states is taking action in an attempt to prevent former President Donald Trump from being elected again.

“BREAKING NEWS: FOX News reports Ca. Gov. Gavin Newsom is the first Governor to say Donald Trump is not eligible for future presidential elections & has asked the California’s State Assembly (sic) to pass a bill that will remove Trumps (sic) name on any future ballots,” reads the post.

It was shared nearly 300 times in three days. Other versions of the claim were shared thousands of additional times on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

A spokesperson for Fox News said the network did not publish any such report, and Newsom’s office also said the claim is false. Newsom has said he had a strong relationship with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he has been criticized by other Democrats for praising the former president.

Newsom, Trump had 'incredible' relationship during presidency

A search of Fox News’ website and social media platforms did not show any such articles, and the outlet told USA TODAY the claim is false.

“This is fake – there is no validity to this claim,” said spokesperson Irena Briganti.

Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom's office, also refuted the claim, saying, “The governor did not say this, and it seems that this is just another case of disinformation spreading on Twitter."

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Additionally, California’s election law says the name of a candidate who was nominated in a primary election must be printed on the general election ballot unless the candidate died at least 68 days before the election, meaning whether a particular candidate is on the ballot is out of the governor's control.

While they have political differences, Newsom said in a Fox News interview in June that he had an “incredible relationship” with Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California on May 2, 2023.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California on May 2, 2023.

“He played no politics during COVID with California, played none whatsoever – that’s a fact,” he said. “And by the way, I’ve got a lot of critique from the left by saying that over and over and over again.”

Trump offered similar statements in an April interview with Tucker Carlson, saying he “used to get along great” with Newsom while president and that the governor was “always very nice to me.”

Reuters and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim California's Newsom wants Trump off ballots | Fact check