The struggle hit a fever pitch after a transgender identifying high school student competed in, and won, multiple girls’ state events.
President Donald Trump and California, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, have been locked in a difference of policy over male athletes in girls’ high school sports, leading to legal action and a possible loss in federal funding for the state.
The power struggle hit a fever pitch after high school athlete AB Hernandez, a transgender-identifying student in California, qualified for and competed in multiple female high school events in the California Interscholastic Federation state track-and-field championships.
Trump cited his Feb. 5 executive order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” that required protection for girls and women in sports, banning male athletes from participating in events for females.
Hernandez participated in and won two girls’ events at the May 31 championship, despite Trump threatening to rescind federal funding if the state violated his executive order.
The Dispute
Trump’s executive order differs from a 2013 California law signed by then Gov. Jerry Brown, who allowed students to participate in sex-segregated programs and use the school facilities that aligned with their preferred gender identity.
Trump issued a warning to the state of California on May 27, saying he would revoke federal education funding if the state didn’t adhere to his executive order prohibiting male athletes from participating in female sports, no matter their chosen gender identity.
“California … continues to ILLEGALLY allow MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.”
The president said that the state’s funding, which totals about $13.6 billion annually, could be cut, possibly permanently, due to the lack of compliance.
After the president’s action, the California Interscholastic Federation announced a policy change that allowed additional “biological female” athletes to compete in the state championships for each transgender athlete that placed in races, attempting to address concerns about competitive fairness.
Newsom’s office offered support for the program change, with spokesperson Izzy Gardon, telling The Epoch Times by email that “[The] proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness—a model worth pursuing. The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”
Following Hernandez’s wins in several categories, Trump renewed his promise to impose fines, saying in a June 2 post that the state could see “large-scale fines.”
Newsom on Friday floated that California could withhold tens of billions in federal taxes in response to a CNN report that the administration was considering canceling large amounts of federal funding for the state.
“Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” Newson wrote in a post on X. “Maybe it’s time to cut that off.”
A July report from the Rockefeller Institute think tank found that California paid $83 billion more to the federal government than it received in 2022.
