Gavin Newsom’s Team ‘Tombstone’s’ Their Argument for Men in Women’s Sports [WATCH]

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office drew widespread criticism on Wednesday after posting a controversial social media clip in response to a formal Title IX violation notice from the U.S. Department of Education.

The post featured an old WWE segment showing Linda McMahon, the current U.S. Secretary of Education, being body-slammed by professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs, known in WWE as “Kane.”

The clip, pulled from an early 2000s episode of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw,” showed McMahon being hit with a wrestling move known as the “tombstone piledriver.”

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McMahon, the former CEO of WWE and wife of founder Vince McMahon, was involved in WWE’s on-screen programming for years prior to her political career.

Jacobs, who performed the move in the video, is now the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Live look at Linda’s legal claims https://t.co/0dwc3kvaIe pic.twitter.com/eQkBVowNrN

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) June 25, 2025

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The post came just hours after McMahon publicly announced that California’s policies permitting transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports violated Title IX.

McMahon said the state had ten days to make necessary changes or face a potential loss of federal education funding.

“States that choose to violate Title IX put their own federal education funding at risk,” McMahon said during an appearance on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning.

The Department of Education’s announcement included a formal notice that the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and the California Department of Education (CDE) must amend their sports participation rules or risk referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Criticism of the governor’s social media response focused on the use of a clip showing a man physically overpowering a woman—a scenario critics argued unintentionally illustrated one of the core concerns of those opposing the inclusion of biological males in girls’ sports.

This is literally of a video of a man taking down a woman easily because of how biologically strong a man is.

Posted by @GavinNewsom office.

Thank you for the prime example of the injustice you’re allowing in the state of California. https://t.co/toyZ9nzIS1

— Sophia Lorey (@SophiaSLorey) June 25, 2025

Several women’s rights activists and advocacy organizations also spoke out, calling the post inappropriate and tone-deaf given the ongoing national debate over the fairness of transgender athletes in female competition.

Hard to believe a real government office tweeted this after @EDSecMcMahon found California in violation of Title IX.

Ironically, the video is a perfect visual of why they’re not in compliance. https://t.co/s639g9Igp1

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 26, 2025

Governor Newsom showing girls how he and California men treat girls in girls’ sports https://t.co/vujOdbhtmL

— ICONS (@icons_women) June 25, 2025

Newsom’s spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, responded to the Department of Education’s announcement in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ without the Trump Administration threatening to defund California,” Gardon said.

The CIF declined to comment on the federal announcement, stating that it does not speak on pending legal issues.

However, the California Department of Education defended its existing policy framework.

“The California Department of Education believes all students should have the opportunity to learn and play at school, and we have consistently applied existing law in support of students’ rights to do so,” said Liz Sanders, director of communications at CDE.

This is not the first time Newsom has addressed the issue of transgender participation in girls’ sports.

In a March interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, the governor acknowledged concerns about fairness in school sports.

“I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that,” Newsom said.

“It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair.”

Kirk asked the governor whether he would condemn a male athlete from Jurupa Valley High School who had recently won a girls’ event.

Newsom did not directly answer but reiterated the broader concerns.

“So, that’s easy to call out the unfairness of that,” he said.

“There’s also a humility and a grace… These poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression. And the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.”

Newsom added, “Both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think, you know, is inherent in you but not always expressed on the issue?”

California officials now have until early July to respond to the Education Department’s ultimatum before any further enforcement action is taken.

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