Trump threatens to revoke California's state funding over transgender high school athlete

US President Donald Trump launched another attack on trans women's participation in women's sports on Tuesday, when he warned Governor Gavin Newsom that state funding for California would be revoked if it does not adhere to his executive order on the subject.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.

“Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. The Governor, himself, said it is ‘UNFAIR’.

“This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”

The executive order referenced by Trump was signed in early February. Titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, it declared that it was now US policy to “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth”.

It also states: “In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports.

“This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”

Although Trump did not name the athlete in question on social media, a number of right-wing media outlets have said the president appears to be referring to AB Hernandez, a teenager who came second in a long jump competition in the California Interscholastic Federation’s Southern Section Masters track and field meet last week.

Newsom is yet to comment on Trump’s Truth Social post, but it is true that the California governor previously described trans women and girls competing in female sports was “deeply unfair”.

Back in March, the Democrat said: “It is an issue of fairness, it’s deeply unfair. We’ve got to own that. We’ve got to acknowledge it.”

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