YORBA LINDA, CALIFORNIA - MAY 10: AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley competes in the girls high jump during the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Track and Field preliminaries at Nathan Shapell Memorial Stadium at Yorba Linda High School on May 10, 2025 in Yorba Linda, California. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Washington D.C. – President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to withhold “large scale” federal funding from California over the participation of a transgender high school athlete in upcoming girls’ state track championships, citing a violation of one of his executive orders on women’s sports.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he would call California Gov. Gavin Newsom to “find out which way he wants to go,” and that he would direct local authorities to prevent the athlete from competing.
“THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Trump wrote. While he did not name the individual or sport, the comments appear to reference a transgender girl who won the girls’ long jump and triple jump events at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Track Championship Masters Qualifiers this past week.
The athlete’s victories secured her spot in the CIF State Championship, a high-profile event for top-performing California high school athletes. According to Trump, the student had been a “less than average competitor” prior to transitioning, and is now “practically unbeatable” in the girls’ category. He warned that federal funds could be withheld “maybe permanently” if the athlete is allowed to compete.
The threat ties back to a February executive order signed by Trump that directs the Department of Education to interpret Title IX—federal legislation designed to prevent sex-based discrimination in schools—as prohibiting transgender girls and women from competing in female-designated sports categories. Under the order, institutions that do not comply risk losing federal funding.
The Department of Education previously launched a Title IX investigation into the CIF’s policies on transgender athletes earlier this year.
Gov. Newsom has not yet responded to Trump’s latest remarks. However, during a May appearance on conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s podcast, Newsom said that allowing trans girls who are biologically male to compete against cisgender girls is “deeply unfair.” At the same time, he acknowledged the complexities of the issue, noting the need for “humility and grace,” given the mental health challenges often faced by trans youth.
Reactions among athletes have been divided. Katie McGuinness, who placed second in the girls’ long jump behind the trans athlete, expressed disappointment in an interview with Fox News, saying she felt she couldn’t compete on equal footing. “There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don’t,” she said.
This remains a developing story, and updates will follow as more details become available.
