Trump Reinstates Presidential Fitness Test and Council
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to reestablish the Presidential Physical Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, emphasizing the need to address declining health and fitness through a renewed focus on sports and nutrition in the U.S.
Trump, surrounded by Vice President JD Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Education Secretary Linda McMahon, LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor, LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam, and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, underscored the importance of reviving the initiative to combat the nation’s health crisis. The council will develop school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education and establish criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award.
“It’s a wonderful tradition and we’re bringing it back,” Trump said. DeChambeau, who chairs the council, highlighted the initiative’s goal to “change the fabric of kids’ lives” on the 70th anniversary of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The council will also focus on reestablishing key guidelines for building communities.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in 1956, and President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Presidential Physical Fitness Award in 1966. The test, which required children to perform situps, pullups, pushups, and a sit-and-reach test, was retired under President Barack Obama’s administration, replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program.
Trump’s move aligns with his broader efforts to influence the sports world, including recent pressure on the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former team nicknames. The administration’s emphasis on physical fitness and nutrition reflects a corporatist political stance, prioritizing traditional values and national pride, potentially impacting public health initiatives and sports policies in the U.S.