By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Donald Trump is threatening Gov. Gavin Newsom over trans student athlete in California.
"I am ordering local authorities...to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals," Trump wrote. He doesn't have that power.
President Donald Trump is threatening to withhold federal funding from California unless a transgender girl is barred from competing in the state girls’ finals—escalating his administration’s attacks on transgender youth and placing renewed pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has already alienated LGBTQ+ advocates on the issue.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
Without naming the athlete or providing any evidence, Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform Tuesday that a “transitioned male athlete” had dominated a recent competition and now qualified for the finals. “As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable,” he wrote, calling the situation “totally demeaning to women and girls.” He said local officials should stop her from competing and warned that federal funding could be cut off “maybe permanently.”
Related: Maine Gov. Janet Mills confronts Donald Trump to his face over anti-trans sports order at White House
Though he did not mention her by name, Trump’s remarks appear to reference AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School who recently won two CIF Southern Section titles in girls’ long jump and triple jump. Hernandez’s victories have drawn sharp backlash from far-right activists and private Christian schools, as well as a federal Title IX investigation launched by Trump’s Department of Education in February targeting California’s trans-inclusive sports policy, Sports Illustrated reports. The state championships are scheduled to be held in Fresno on May 30 and 31.
Trump wrote that he would be speaking with Newsom. However, he said, “In the meantime, I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals.” Trump does not have the authority to order local authorities to take any action.
Related: Gov. Gavin Newsom faces backlash over comments he made about transgender student athletes
The threat comes just months after Newsom himself triggered backlash for echoing far-right rhetoric about trans athletes. In the debut episode of his podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, in March, the Democratic governor told right-wing extremist Charlie Kirk that trans girls competing in school sports is “deeply unfair.” “I completely agree with you on that,” Newsom said.
Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign condemned the remarks as a betrayal. Newsom’s team later said he opposes the right wing’s efforts to “vilify individual kids,” pointing to his record on LGBTQ+ rights. But for many advocates, the damage was already done.
Trump, meanwhile, has been attacking transgender rights through executive orders that range from limits on gender-affirming care, bans on transgender military service, and prohibitions on a person’s official documents reflecting a gender identity other than their sex assigned at birth.
