California Governor Gavin Newsom, responding for the first time to President-elect Trump's victory over Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election, said he would work with Trump but would not issue a warning.
Newsom shared his remarks on social media Wednesday, saying that Trump's second term in office is “not the outcome we wanted,” but that “the fight for freedom and opportunity will continue.”
“@KamalaHarris began fighting to protect our fundamental freedoms and build a country that works for everyone. She stood up for working families, decency, and opportunity,” Newsom wrote. . “California intends to work with the next president, but to be clear, we will work with states across the country to uphold the Constitution and uphold the rule of law.”
He added: “Federalism is the foundation of our democracy. It is the United States of America.”
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Dan Schnurr, a political communication professor at the University of Southern California, Berkeley and Pepperdine, said Newsom's star power within the Democratic Party is expected to increase following Harris' loss. Los Angeles Times.
Newsom said he would work with Trump, but warned him to protect the Constitution. (Jason Almond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)
“As governor, Newsom will lead a resistance government for the next two years, but then he will become a very prominent and nationally recognized party leader,” Schnurr told the paper.
Newsom has previously been asked about his potential presidential candidacy during the 2024 election cycle.
President-elect Trump defeated Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
But California voters voted to be tough on crime and approved Proposition 36, even though Newsom opposed the ballot initiative.
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Proposition 36 would crack down on theft and drug trafficking in a state long plagued by crime. “Proposition 36 takes us back to the mass incarceration of the 1980s. It promotes promises that cannot be fulfilled,” Newsom said ahead of the vote.
Experts say Newsom's stock within the Democratic Party is expected to rise following Harris' loss. (Tama Mario/Getty Images, File)
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Voters had differing opinions as California has seen a spike in crime in recent years, with 2021 and 2022 seeing the state's highest levels of violent crime. Criminals were repeatedly caught on camera attacking high-end department stores armed with crowbars and other weapons, destroying display cases before stealing merchandise and fleeing.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeh Pritchett and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
