President Trump reportedly warned California on Thursday that its schools risk losing federal funding if the state continues to defy his administration’s transgender sports policies, intensifying a confrontation that has pitted federal law against California’s progressive agenda.
“Any California school district that doesn’t adhere to our Transgender policies, will not be funded. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While the president did not specify the scope of potential cuts, the statement marked his most direct warning yet to schools refusing to comply.
The Justice Department last month filed suit against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), accusing them of “illegal sex discrimination against female student athletes.”
The lawsuit reflects the administration’s broader argument that allowing biological males to compete against girls undermines Title IX protections, which guarantee equal athletic opportunity for women and girls.
The president has long been explicit about his stance. In May, before the legal action was filed, he threatened to revoke federal funding from California if the state allowed a transgender high school track and field athlete to compete in a state championship.
And in February, Trump signed an executive order declaring: “It is the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports,” warning that Washington would “rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.”
California officials, however, have taken the opposite approach. The CIF has said it will continue allowing transgender athletes to join teams based on gender identity, pointing to a 2013 state law. The administration responded in June by declaring that California is “in clear violation” of Title IX, citing the findings of two separate federal investigations.
Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump foil and potential presidential contender, has leaned into the fight.
His office on Thursday accused Trump of targeting vulnerable children. “If it’s a day ending in Y, President Trump is attacking kids’ safety, health, and access to education as part of his culture war,” a Newsom spokesperson said.
Newsom has also taken to social media to mock the president, adopting Trump’s own combative tone and attempting to turn it against him — a strategy that has attracted attention from national outlets.
But the administration has signaled that the dispute is about fairness, not rhetoric.
Hours after Trump’s latest warning, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that California’s participation in a federal sex education grant program had been terminated. The decision came after the state refused to strip transgender-related content from its curricula.
“The Trump Administration will not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to indoctrinate children,” said Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary for HHS’ Administration for Children and Families.
The clash between Washington and Sacramento underscores a growing national debate: whether policies designed to advance transgender inclusion are eroding protections for women and girls in sports.
For Trump, the answer has been clear — federal dollars will not support states that, in his view, place ideology above fairness.
[READ MORE: Trump Trains His Fire on Newsom, Calling Out California’s Decline]
