President Trump threatened on Tuesday to strip “large scale” federal funding from California “maybe permanently” if the state continued to allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ and women’s sports.
Mr. Trump said on social media on Tuesday morning that he planned to speak to Gov. Gavin Newsom on the issue later in the day. The president also appeared to accuse the state of violating an executive order he signed earlier this year barring the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Mr. Trump wrote that California “continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.’”
It was not immediately clear what federal funding Mr. Trump intended to withhold.
Mr. Trump’s post appeared to be referring to a transgender high school student from Southern California who won regional girls’ triple and long jump competitions this month. “THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Mr. Trump said local officials should not permit the athlete to compete in the state finals, which are scheduled for this weekend. He framed that statement as an order; although the president has no role in setting state policy, he has repeatedly used the threat of lost federal funding as leverage.
The state’s high school sports body, the California Interscholastic Federation, said later Tuesday that had decided over the weekend to change the criteria for athletes to land a spot in this weekend’s track and field championship to expand opportunities to “any biological female student-athlete” who would have qualified in a competition where a transgender athlete took a top spot.
The federation said in a statement that it “believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”
Mr. Newsom has previously said he thinks it is “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to play in girls’ sports. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the governor called the federation’s new policy “a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness.”
“The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach,” said the spokesman, Izzy Gardon.
Tuesday’s post was the latest instance of Mr. Trump threatening a state or institution over transgender athletes.
Minnesota sued the Justice Department in April over threats to cut federal education funding over the inclusion of transgender athletes. The Trump administration froze federal funding for school children in Maine over the issue before both sides reached an agreement to restore it earlier this month. And Mr. Trump slashed $175 million in federal funding from the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender athlete policies.
The administration has also repeatedly targeted California over policies intended to aid or protect marginalized individuals that Mr. Trump has derided. In March, the Education Department announced it would challenge a state law protecting transgender students. The administration also revoked federal waivers that let California colleges include undocumented students in certain programs receiving federal aid.
Despite his misgivings over having transgender athletes compete in girls’ sports, Mr. Newsom has not put his weight behind Republican efforts to change the law in California. Although he has supported numerous other policies to expand rights for L.G.B.T.Q. Californians, Mr. Newsom said the issue of athletic competition is different because it “impedes other people’s rights.”
But crafting a policy that balances his desires to both include transgender students in school sports and foster competition for female athletes has eluded Mr. Newsom. Last month he said that he had explored potential changes to California law but couldn’t find a solution.
“We were trying to figure this out, and couldn’t figure it out,” Mr. Newsom said. “I just couldn’t figure out how to, quote, unquote, make this fair.”
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
Laurel Rosenhall is a Sacramento-based reporter covering California politics and government for The Times.
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