Gavin Newsom has called out Fox for waging war on Christmas.
The California governor, who is positioning himself as a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, reposted a Fox Business segment on his press office’s X account on Sunday.
“Why is Fox News starting a war on Christmas?” Newsom, 58, captioned the clip, flipping a line the Rupert Murdoch-owned network has long used to paint the “left” as being anti-Christmas.
On Friday’s The Big Money Show, Fox Business host Dagen McDowell argued that land used for Christmas tree farms would be better spent on AI infrastructure.
Why is Fox News starting a war on Christmas? https://t.co/yOkxNXyfuf
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 14, 2025
“You know what? Buy a fake tree,” McDowell said, after a report highlighted a Maryland Christmas tree farm that is fighting a proposed energy project that would run transmission lines through the farm to power AI data centers in Virginia.
“It’s a tree farm! Not growing food,” McDowell said of Mount Airy’s Gaver Farm. “The alternative would be some liberals would put some giant solar panels on that land, and you’re not going to be growing any Christmas trees either.”
The 56-year-old Fox host claimed that the power lines are needed for the “growth and development of business” as well as “grid stability” and lower energy costs.
“There will be transmission lines that have to go through developments and farms. That’s the very nature of a growing economy. Like, everybody needs to get on board,” she said, before adding, “You know what? Buy a fake tree.”
The comment drew groans from her co-hosts, with Brian Brenberg quipping, “A dagger right in my heart.”
McDowell responded, “What? I have a fake tree! I know I can’t afford the tree.”
Fox contributor Liz Peek, 76, also showed little sympathy for the Christmas tree farm’s concerns over the power lines.
“I’m doubly suspicious that this is part of the narrative hitting back against AI, hitting back against the construction of data centers, which is probably the best economic power we have right now,” she said.
AI data centers have become a hot-button issue, as their massive energy use drives up energy costs for households nationwide.
But President Donald Trump has gone all-in on AI, signing an executive order Thursday that limits states’ authority over its regulation.
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