Trump vows “large-scale” fines against California after transgender athlete dominates girls’ track events

• President Trump escalates legal action against California for allowing a transgender athlete to win girls’ track events, defying federal warnings.
• The White House threatens “large-scale fines” and withholding federal funds over California’s transgender sports policies, citing Title IX violations.
• A biologically male athlete dominated girls’ high jump and triple jump at state championships, sparking outrage over unfair competition.
• California’s last-minute rule allowed biological girls to share medals with transgender winners, criticized as a weak compromise.
• Polls show strong public opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports, with 70-79% of Americans against the practice.

President Donald Trump has declared war on California’s radical gender policies after a transgender high school athlete swept two girls’ track and field events at the state championships, defying federal warnings. The White House is now preparing “large-scale fines” and legal action against the state, escalating a national battle over fairness in women’s sports.

On May 31, AB Hernandez, a biologically male athlete from Jurupa Valley High School, clinched first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championships in Clovis. Despite Trump’s February executive order barring transgender athletes from competing against biological females, Hernandez dominated the competition, prompting outrage from the administration and advocates for women’s rights.

“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,” Trump fumed on Truth Social. “As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!”

Federal showdown over Title IX

The Justice Department has launched a Title IX investigation into California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, which permits transgender students to compete based on gender identity. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, warned the state in a letter that its policies violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and demanded school districts disavow the CIF’s transgender bylaws by June 9.

Trump had previously threatened to withhold federal funding from California, citing his executive order to protect women’s sports. “Federal funding will be held back, maybe permanently,” he warned in February. The administration has already targeted Maine for similar violations, putting $250 million in annual education funds at risk.

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who once admitted allowing transgender athletes in girls’ sports is “deeply unfair,” refused to block Hernandez’s participation. Instead, the CIF introduced a last-minute rule allowing biological females who lost podium spots to transgender competitors to share medals in a move critics dismissed as a hollow compromise.

A rigged competition

Hernandez’s victories were decisive. The athlete cleared 5 feet, 7 inches in the high jump with no failed attempts, while female competitors Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle struggled with missed jumps at the same height. In the triple jump, Hernandez soared 42 feet, 2 inches, nearly two feet farther than the next female athlete, Kira Grant Hatcher.

Although Hernandez was forced to share the podium with biological girls, the optics underscored the administration’s argument: testosterone-driven advantages cannot be erased by progressive politics. It is “TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Trump wrote, echoing widespread frustration among female athletes and parents.

California’s defiance mirrors battles in 18 other states where lawmakers are pushing bans on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Polls show overwhelming public opposition to biological males in women’s sports. A January 2025 New York Times survey found 79% of Americans, including most Democrats, reject the practice, while an AP-NORC poll confirmed 70% oppose it at all competitive levels. Yet progressive activists and institutions dismiss concerns as “transphobic,” even as female athletes lose scholarships and podium spots.

The Trump administration’s crackdown signals a turning point in the defense of women’s sports. With federal investigations, funding threats, and lawsuits mounting, California’s radical gender policies may soon face a reckoning. Title IX was designed to protect women, not erase them.

For now, the White House’s message is clear: States enabling biological males to dominate female competitions will pay a price. The battle for fairness, rooted in science and law, is far from over.

Sources for this article include:

NYPost.com

WashingtonPost.com

USAToday.com