Donald Trump threatens to fine California for allowing ‘biological male’ to compete in girls' athletics finals

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose large-scale fines on California for allowing a transgender high school athlete to participate in girls' sports.

“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so. As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!,” said Trump in a post on Truth Social.

Trump's remark came after 16-year-old transgender student-athlete AB Hernandez won gold in both the girls’ high jump and triple jump events at the state championships over the weekend.

AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.

California currently allows students to participate in sports that align with their gender identity.

Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt.

Last week, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California, accusing Governor Gavin Newsom of failing to comply with an executive order barring transgender people from competing in women’s sports.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice is pressuring California’s public high school sports authority to abandon a policy allowing transgender girls to compete on women’s teams, following a transgender athlete’s first-place wins at the state track and field championships, reported Reuters.

The policy violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by “depriving girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex,” said the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, gave the organisation until June 9 to confirm in writing that it will no longer enforce the rule.

Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has previously said he thinks the participation of transgender athletes in girls’ sports is “deeply unfair.” His office described the CIF’s revised approach as a “reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness”.