President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that California will face “large-scale fines” after a “transgender” athlete won two events at a state high school girls’ track and field competition.
This follows earlier warnings from the Trump administration against allowing such participation.
AB Hernandez, a student at Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, won first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the state finals held on May 31 in Clovis.
Trump reacted on Truth Social, writing, “A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so.”
He continued, “As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!”
Under pressure from the Trump administration, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which oversees high school athletics, recently changed its rules to permit biological females who lost spots to “transgender” athletes to still compete in the finals.
CIF also awarded duplicate first-place medals to the top biological female finishers, which led to Hernandez sharing the podium with another athlete in each event.
In the high jump, Hernandez cleared 5 feet, 7 inches without any misses. Female athletes Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle also reached that height, allowing them to share the podium.
Hernandez also won the triple jump, recording a leap of 42 feet, 2 inches. The closest challenger, Kira Grant Hatcher, jumped 40 feet, 5 inches, as the New York Post reported.
Trump had issued an executive order in February requiring the protection of women’s sports and warned that any state failing to comply could face a permanent loss of federal funding.
He also stated at the time that he might direct local authorities to prevent any “transgender” athlete from competing in girls’ events, though he did not mention Hernandez by name.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office has not yet issued a response to Trump’s latest comments or the CIF’s rule adjustment.
In March, Newsom admitted during an interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that he considered it “deeply unfair” to allow “transgender” athletes to compete against biological females.
The Trump administration has pursued similar cases in other states. It recently opened an investigation into Maine’s sports policies, threatening $250 million in annual federal education funding over its allowance of “transgender” athletes.
Last month, the White House temporarily unfroze Maine’s funding as negotiations and legal proceedings continued.
In addition, the Justice Department announced in May that it would review whether California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, which permits “transgender” students to participate in girls’ sports, violates Title IX regulations.
On Monday, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, signaled potential legal action against California over the law allowing “transgender” student-athlete participation.
