Trump threatens large-scale fines on California after trans athlete wins girls track events
President Trump declared early Tuesday that “large scale fines” will be slapped on California after a transgender athlete racked up a pair of wins at a girls’ high school track and field championship, despite the commander-in-chief’s prior warnings against allowing such entries.AB Hernandez, of Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, captured first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump events at the May 31 meet in Clovis.“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 declared on Truth Social.“As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!”Last week, under pressure from the Trump administration, the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports in the state, adjusted its rules to allow biological females who lost qualifying position to transgender athletes to compete.The CIF also awarded first-place medals to the best biological female athlete in both events, creating an awkward situation in which Hernandez had to share the first-place step with a rival.Hernandez easily won the girls’ high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches with no failed attempts.Female competitors Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle also cleared that mark, allowing them to share the podium with Hernandez.Additionally, Hernandez easily won the triple jump with a distance of 42 feet, 2 inches.
The closest rival was Kira Grant Hatcher with a jump of 40 feet, 5 inches.Trump previously warned that federal funding would be “held back, maybe permanently,” if the Golden State didn’t adhere to his February executive order to safeguard women’s sports.The president also said at the time that he would order “local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” a transgender athlete to compete in the women’s track and field contest, though he did not mention Hernandez by name.Newsom’s office did not immedi...