This March, we reported that California Governor Gavin Newsom and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk engaged in a widely publicized discussion about the participation of transgenders (i.e., biological males) in female sports.
This conversation, featured on the debut episode of Newsom’s podcast “This Is Gavin Newsom,” marked a significant moment in the national debate, as Newsom, a prominent Democrat and long-time LGBTQ+ ally, broke with his party’s mainstream stance by agreeing with Kirk that such participation is “deeply unfair” to female athletes.
Clearly, Newsom is trying to own the “centrist” lane in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary.
A couple of weeks later, the California governor admitted he actually had no plan to address the ‘unfairness’.
It looks like he may have to come up with one quick. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold “large scale” federal funding from California if the state continued to allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
This warning, delivered via social media, was prompted by the case of AB Hernandez, a transgender high school athlete from Southern California who recently qualified for multiple events at the state track and field championships.
Trump blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom in an early morning post on Truth Social, saying the state under his leadership “continues to ILLEGALLY allow MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.”“I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go???” Trump said of Newsom. “In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”The president’s post seemed to reference A.B. Hernandez, a Jurupa Valley High School junior who won the girls’ long jump and triple jump during the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet over the weekend.
Following Trump’s threat, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced a “pilot entry process” for the upcoming state championship, allowing any biological female student-athlete who narrowly missed qualifying due to a transgender athlete’s placement to participate in the finals. This adjustment was presented as a way to balance participation opportunities with concerns about competitive fairness.
“Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” the group said in a statement. “The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”The federation didn’t specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend’s competition.
Newsom’s office described the CIF’s response as “a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness”.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was “encouraged” Tuesday by a decision to allow additional athletes to compete in the state’s high school track and field championships this weekend. The eleventh-hour rule change was announced in the wake of a threat by President Donald Trump to pull federal funding from California over transgender students participating in school sports….“CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness,” Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement. “The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”
Clearly, Newsom is still trying to find a “middle ground” on an issue that has little of it.
I suspect Trump will not be easily placated, and we are likely to see an escalation if Newsom continues this nonsense.
However, I argue that this turnabout is fair play. During Trump’s first term, Newsom was a leading general in the warfare against the White House.
Now, Trump is going to use the full power of the Oval Office to ensure that our girls and women can enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in a sport that they love.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY