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President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from California after transgender athletes joined women’s sports. “We’ll find out how he wants to go to talk to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.” Withholding federal funds from states or agencies he opposes is the latest threat from Trump.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to strip California of “massive federal funds” if the state opposes an executive order that bars transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
That funding could be withheld “forever” if California continues to flout its February 5th order, and Trump warned of a true society.
The president’s post complained that trans athletes who are eligible to compete with women in upcoming competition are “virtually invincible.”
He wrote that he would order “if necessary, those who have been transferred will not be allowed to compete in the state finals.”
Speaking to Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Trump added that he will talk about the issue on Tuesday, “finding how he wants to go.”
Trump did not name the athletes whose participation in women’s sports attracted his rage. AB Hernandez, a California high school student and transgender athlete who competes in women’s track and field, has recently gained media attention.
Trump’s threat to shut down federal funds could be important for California, the fourth largest economy in the world.
More than a third of the state’s budget comes from the federal government, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. The state’s 2025-2026 budget includes more than $170 billion in federal funds.
The threat also weighs in light of Trump’s growing willingness to cancel billions of dollars in federal funds to universities, cities and other entities he opposes his actions.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump moved to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard (around $100 million in total) with the administration’s latest Salvo against elite agencies.
Trump has previously threatened withholding federal funds from Maine for state compliance with Trump’s executive order banning transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports.
Popularly viewed as a candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, Newsom has been a critic of many Trump policy voices, including tariffs and immigration.
He downplayed the debate over trans-athletes in April, saying the issue was “weaponized by rights 10 times larger than 100 times larger.”
However, he also suggested that trans-athletes who will take part in girls and women’s sports in March were “deeply unfair” and would separate themselves from many of his fellow Democrats.
“I think it’s a matter of fairness. I totally agree with you about that,” Newsom told conservative and influential Charlie Kirk on his podcast.
Newsom’s office did not immediately provide comment in response to Trump’s post.
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