California Sports Org Expands Finals Eligibility After Trump Tantrum Over Trans Athlete

California’s high school sports governing body is allowing more students to compete in the state finals after President Donald Trump threatened to take away federal funding in a social media rant.

The rule change serves as an alternative to excluding 16-year-old AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, which Trump appeared to call for on Tuesday morning. Hernandez’s victories in the triple jump and long jump have been politicized, drawing the ire of Trump and other right-wingers who have even protested at her track and field meets.

The California Interscholastic Federation declared in a Tuesday statement that “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” will be able to compete in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships.

“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law and Education Code,” the organization continued, referring to the new rule as a “pilot entry process.”

It’s unclear if this rule will continue to be implemented in future contests or if it’s a one-off occurrence. CIF’s statement didn’t directly respond to Trump’s Truth Social post, but it came shortly after.

“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 wrote on Truth Social as he ostensibly blasted Hernandez’s success. He did not explicitly name Hernandez in his rambling post.

Trump was pointing to his February executive order prohibiting “male competitive participation in women’s sports.” The order also said that the government reserves the right to “rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.”

“The Governor, himself, said it is ‘UNFAIR.’ I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go???” Trump continued in his social media post. “In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) press office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told Politico that the rule change is “thoughtful.”

“CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness,” Izzy Gardon, the spokesperson, said in a statement. “The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”

Newsom has said that he believes that it’s unfair for transgender athletes to compete in sports that don’t align with the gender assigned to them at birth, breaking with a majority of the Democratic Party.

“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair,” Newsom told right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk on his podcast “This Is Gavin Newsom” in March.

Despite experiencing harassment — including doxxing by a local official, according to Capital & Main — Hernandez and her family have seemingly maintained a positive attitude.

“There’s nothing I can do about people’s actions, just focus on my own,” Hernandez told Capital & Main in an interview in May. “I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person.”

“I couldn’t be any prouder regardless of all the noise,” AB Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, told City News Service following a meet last weekend. “She’s successful. She is first place, and it’s her third year. I couldn’t be any prouder.”