President Donald Trump has restored the Presidential Fitness Test for America’s children.
During a White House ceremony Tuesday, Trump called for schools to reinstitute the test, which began during the Eisenhower administration of the 1950s but was abolished by former President Barack Obama.
“From the late 1950s until 2013, grade schoolers across the country competed against each other in the Presidential Fitness Test,” Trump said in a video posted to X.
“Then we had the Obama administration … wonderful, wonderful person, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him?” Trump said, as children ringed the Resolute Desk.
“We had the Obama administration, which phased out this wonderful tradition of physical fitness. Thank you, Barack, very much. Great job,” Trump said.
“But we’re bringing it back. We’re bringing it back,” he continued.
Trump signed a proclamation naming May National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.
.@POTUS: From the late 1950s until 2013, grade schoolers across the country competed against each other in the Presidential Fitness Test, then we had the Obama administration, which phased out this wonderful tradition of physical fitness—and we’re bringing it back. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/5WpsME8W8e
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2026
“My administration is working very hard to defend America’s cherished athletic traditions and pass our values of excellence and competitiveness to the next generation,” President Trump said.
Trump then went outdoors with pro athletes and children who were at the White House for the event.
Teaching the kids how the Trump Dance is done 🤣 pic.twitter.com/EksySbgK9r
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2026
One video of the event showed Trump apparently teaching children his patented dance moves.
“I work out so hard on a personal basis. I work out so much — like about one minute a day, max, if I’m lucky,” Trump joked, according to the New York Post.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. noted his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, popularized the test after “he became very concerned that Americans were becoming soft.”
“He said that there’s a national security issue. It threatens our economy. We need a vigorous population that it’s in good shape, spiritually, morally, physically, if we’re going to continue to exercise leadership around the world,” RFK Jr. said.
President Trump is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test — starting today, right on the South Lawn of the White House 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/sAArK7tfim
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2026
“We’re now the sickest nation in the world. We’ve gone from 5 percent of our kids being obese to 20 percent; 70 percent of adults are obese or overweight, and 77 percent of our children cannot qualify for military service,” he said.
“And that should be an eye opener for all of us, and I’m so grateful to President Trump for his leadership and his vision of reinstituting the physical fitness test,” Kennedy said.
The Presidential Physical Fitness Test calls for participants to run a mile, perform as many sit-ups as they can in one minute, do as many pull-ups or push-ups as they can for as long as possible, and take a flexibility test.
Trump last year revamped the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition “to develop bold and innovative fitness goals for young Americans with the aim of fostering a new generation of healthy, active citizens,” according to a fact sheet issued by the White House.
The fact sheet said Trump “is addressing the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness with a time-tested approach celebrating the exceptionalism of America’s sports and fitness traditions.”
“Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children,” the fact sheet said. “These trends weaken our economy, military readiness, academic performance, and national morale.”
The fact sheet said the order is part of Trump’s mission to create a “national culture of strength, vitality, and excellence for the next generation by promoting the physical, mental, and civic benefits of exercise and good nutrition.”
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