Fox News reported California Gov. Gavin Newsom “will withhold” California’s federal income tax.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom may act as a foil to Republican President-elect Donald Trump. But some social media posts have overreached when assessing just how much the Democratic governor is antagonizing the returning commander in chief.

We’ve already fact-checked and found False a claim that Newsom was considering plans to secede from the United States following Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. 

Now, a Nov. 9 Instagram post sharing a screenshot of an X post claims Newsom will withhold billions due in federal income tax.

“BREAKING FOX NEWS: Reliable sources are reporting that California governor Gavin Newsom will withhold California’s 235 billion dollar 2025 federal income tax. This is a developing story,” the screenshot said.

This Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Newsom’s office told PolitiFact in a statement that it’s “absolutely false” the governor is planning to withhold $235 billion in federal income tax next year. 

Plus, taxpayers pay their federal income taxes directly to the IRS, not via the state. 

Fox News didn’t immediately respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the post, but a network spokesperson told Reuters, “This was not reported on Fox News.”

We found no such story on Fox News’ website, nor credible evidence elsewhere to corroborate the Instagram post’s claim. 

That’s because a parody account posted the X post image shared on Instagram. “Raw unfiltered parody account,” the X account’s bio says. 

We rate this post False.