President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from California over transgender high school junior A.B. Hernandez’s participation in the state track and field championships, where Hernandez has now advanced to the finals in three events.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday, referring to his February executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
Hernandez, who attends Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, placed first in long jump, first in high jump, and first in triple jump during Friday’s preliminary round of the championships. Her success has qualified her to compete in all three events in Saturday’s finals.
The controversy has intensified as protesters gathered outside the stadium in Clovis, with some holding signs reading “Save Girls Sports” and an airplane flying overhead with a banner stating “No Boys in Girls’ Sports.”
In response to Hernandez’s qualification, the California Interscholastic Federation announced a rule change for this weekend’s competition, allowing “biological female” student athletes who would have earned qualifying marks if not for transgender participants to receive automatic entry to the finals.
Coach Keinan Briggs, who trains athletes from other schools, noted that Hernandez’s success meant one of his students from Irvine’s Woodbridge High School couldn’t continue in the competition. While expressing concern about fairness, Briggs also acknowledged that Hernandez “has been training rigorously” and is “getting better.”
Hernandez, who has competed on the track team for three years, told Capital & Main this is the first year she has faced backlash. “I’ve trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me,” she said.
At a school board meeting in April, Hernandez addressed critics: “If you are going to save someone, it should be the girls on my team who all love me and support me, and they’ve told me over and over again that they want me on this team.”
Her mother, Nereyda Hernandez, has defended her daughter, saying on Instagram that A.B.’s identity “doesn’t give her an advantage; it gives her courage.”
Following Trump’s threat, the Justice Department announced an investigation into whether California’s School Success and Opportunity Act—which prohibits public schools from blocking transgender students from participating in school sports—violates Title IX.
The Jurupa Unified School District stated it is required to follow California law and the state federation’s policy regarding school athletics. Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office called the California Interscholastic Federation’s pilot rule for the championships “reasonable.”
The debate continues as over half of U.S. states have enacted laws banning school-age transgender students from competing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity, while transgender athletes and advocates maintain they deserve the right to compete .
