President Donald Trump has threatened to impose “large scale” financial penalties on California after a transgender athlete competed and won two medals at last weekend’s high school state track and field championship.
“Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,” Trump wrote in a 12:56 a.m. EST Tuesday post on Truth Social.
“As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!,” Trump added, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom with a derogatory nickname often used by the right.
Trump did not offer details regarding the potential fines or the specific federal funding that could be affected.
The dispute centers around AB Hernandez, a transgender high school athlete who placed first in both the girls’ high jump and triple jump events at Saturday’s California Interscholastic Federation finals in Clovis.
Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium.
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AB Hernandez, center, flashes a sign as she shares the first-place spot on the podium with Jillene Wetteland, left, and Lelani Laruelle during a medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., Saturday, May 31, 2025. At right is third-place finisher Julia Teven. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
AB Hernandez, center, flashes a sign as she shares the first-place spot on the podium with Jillene Wetteland, left, and Lelani Laruelle during a medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
First-place winners AB Hernandez, left, and Jillene Wetteland share a light moment before the medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Hernandez’s victories followed a CIF rule change last week that allows athletes assigned female at birth to receive medals based on their potential finish had a transgender athlete not participated.
Governor Newsom has yet to personally respond to the president’s latest threat; however, in a statement to KTLA 5 News on Tuesday, his office pointed out that CIF is an independent, non-profit that is not governed by his administration.
It added that California is one of 22 states that have laws allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. California’s law was passed in 2013 and was signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
While Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, is widely viewed as a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, he recently made headlines by apparently tacking to the right on the trans athlete issue.
During a conversation with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in the debut episode of his new podcast in March, Newsom called the idea of athletes whose sex assigned at birth was male then competing in female sports “deeply unfair.”
“I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit,” he said.
The Department of Justice argues that allowing transgender athletes to compete in female sports amounts to sex discrimination. The argument is based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.