President Donald Trump announced that California would face significant fines following the victory of a trans-identifying male athlete in multiple high school track and field events over the weekend.

Trump on Monday criticized the state and Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for violating his executive order that prohibits biological males from competing in girls’ sports. The controversy erupted after 16-year-old AB Hernandez, a male student who identifies as female, won gold medals in both the high jump and triple jump at the state finals on Saturday.

“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so. As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large-scale fines will be imposed!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

President Trump had previously criticized Governor Gavin Newsom and the state of California, warning that federal funding could be withheld if the state continued to allow AB Hernandez to compete against female athletes. Last week, Trump said he intended to speak with Newsom directly “to find out which way he wants to go” on the matter.

Ahead of the state championships, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) updated its policy on transgender athletes, allowing AB Hernandez to continue competing in the girls’ category. However, under the revised rules, biological female athletes would retain their placements on the podium, even if Hernandez outperformed them.

Newsom praised the change as “a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness.”

Critics, including many conservatives and advocates for women’s sports, argued the policy still falls short, as it permits Hernandez to compete against female athletes despite the revised podium rules.

In the high jump event, AB Hernandez was listed as a co-winner alongside Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle, the top-performing female athletes. In the long jump, Hernandez placed second and shared the podium with Brooke White. Champion Loren Webster edged out Hernandez by just a few inches to claim first place.

The Trump administration has warned that states like California, Maine, and Minnesota could face cuts to federal funding for allegedly violating Title IX protections by allowing biological males to compete in female sports.

Last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced that her office has launched an investigation into California’s high school sports governing body over possible Title IX violations.