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EXCLUSIVE: Recently, the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom stirred controversy with a social media post mocking the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement regarding Title IX violations related to trans athletes in women’s sports.
In a post on X, Newsom’s office featured a clip from a vintage WWE skit, showcasing U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon being body-slammed by Glenn Thomas Jacobs, famously known as “Kane.” This clip originates from an episode of “Monday Night Raw” in the early 2000s.
The social media mockery sparked widespread backlash from Californians and women’s rights advocates across the nation. In light of this reaction, McMahon has issued a response to the provocative video.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, McMahon expressed her surprise at Newsom’s choice of clip. She stated, “I think what that said is that Gavin Newsom doesn’t really take this seriously at all. And I was surprised that that was the clip that he used.”
She elaborated, noting that the governor’s attempt to inject humor into a serious matter discredits the struggles faced by female athletes. “We have women who are training to compete in these sports who lose scholarship and sponsorship opportunities, who get injured, who are compelled to be in dressing rooms or their intimate spaces with men, and that is absolutely unfair,” McMahon argued.
Furthermore, McMahon pointed out that her office had also used a clip of Newsom, this time quoting a more recent statement from him regarding the fairness of letting trans athletes compete in women’s and girls’ sports. In this instance, McMahon highlighted a moment from his podcast where he remarked that such participation is “deeply unfair.”
She said, “Here’s what was so funny: We also put online the actual footage of Gavin Newsom saying it was unfair on his own podcast. So I had sent him a letter. I said, basically, ‘Put your money where your mouth is, because you talk about how this is unfair, but you don’t do anything to change.’”
This disagreement over the handling of Title IX implications came to a head after Newsom’s office reacted to the Education Department’s announcement concerning California’s high school sports league, the CIF, and the California Department of Education (CDE). They have been given a tight deadline of 10 days from the announcement to amend their policies or face a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Following the Education Department’s statement, Newsom’s office issued a response. A spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, condemned the department’s ultimatum, saying, “It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ without the Trump Administration threatening to defund California. Now Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days — dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won’t stick.”
The conflict between the Department of Education and California reflects a broader legal battle. The Trump administration is involved in various lawsuits, including one against the state of Maine, for its refusal to comply with federal mandates on this contentious issue. The administration is also negotiating with Minnesota regarding related challenges.
McMahon discussed this evolving situation during an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” where she warned of potential federal funding repercussions for California’s K-12 schools if state policies do not align with federal expectations. Speaker after speaker in both parties has cited the need for compliance with Title IX regulations aimed at safeguarding women’s athletics.
In a significant progression for the Trump administration’s campaign against trans athletes in women’s sports, an agreement was announced with the University of Pennsylvania on a recent Tuesday. This agreement mandates that UPenn officially apologize to all women’s swimmers affected by the participation of trans swimmer Lia Thomas during the 2021-22 season. Additionally, it requires the university to rescind all accolades received by Thomas during that period and to adopt biology-based definitions for “male” and “female” in sports.
McMahon underlined that the UPenn agreement serves as a crucial message to other states that may defy federal guidelines. She remarked, “Our sincere hope is that they absolutely recognize what they’re going to have to do relative to comply with Title IX. It is the law. There are federal funds that have been withheld and withdrawn, so there are penalties involved in this. But it’s actually just the right thing to do. It’s common sense to do, that men should not compete in women’s sports.”
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