California Gov. Newsom says he will work with Trump but issues warning

California Governor Gavin Newsom reacted for the first time to President-elect Trump's victory over Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election, saying he would work with Trump, but not without issuing a warning.

Newsom shared his remarks on social media on Wednesday, expressing that a second Trump presidency was “not the outcome we wanted” but that the “fight for freedom and opportunity continues.”

“.@KamalaHarris set out to fight to defend our fundamental freedoms and build a country that works for everyone. She stood up for working families, decency and opportunity,” Newsom wrote. “California will seek to work with the new president – ​​but make no mistake, we intend to work with states across the country to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law.”

He continued: “Federalism is the cornerstone of our democracy. It is the UNITED STATES of America.”

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Newsom's star power within the Democratic Party is expected to increase following Harris' defeat, Dan Schnur, an associate professor of political communication at the University of Southern California, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, told the Los Angeles Times.

Newsom said he would work with Trump but warned against upholding the Constitution. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)

“Newsom will lead the resistance government as governor for the next two years and then be a very prominent and nationally recognized party leader,” Schnur told the newspaper.

Newsom has previously been asked about his own potential presidential prospects in the 2024 election cycle.

President-elect Trump defeated Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

However, California voters voted to get tougher on crime and approved Proposition 36, even though Newsom rejected the ballot initiative.

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Proposition 36 will crack down on theft and drug trafficking in a state that has been plagued by crime for years. Before the vote, Newsom said, “Prop 36 takes us back to the 1980s, to mass incarceration – it promotes a promise that cannot be kept.”

Experts say Newsom's share of the Democratic Party is expected to rise following Harris' defeat. (Mario Tama/Getty Images, File)

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Voters disagreed as crime in California has increased sharply in recent years, particularly in 2021 and 2022 when smash-and-grab crimes peaked in the state. Criminals have repeatedly been caught on camera storming luxury department stores with crowbars and other weapons to smash display cases before stealing goods and fleeing.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeh Pritchett and Emma Colton contributed to this report.