US Politics
Trump to bring back Presidential Fitness Test during White House event featuring controversial Chiefs kicker
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Professional athletes will join President Donald Trump to sign an executive order that expands his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, including the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test — not to be confused with his own annual physical — a public school health program.
The event will feature controversial Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, golfer Bryson DeChambeau, former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor and former WWE champion Paul “Triple H” Levesque, among others.
The president, an avid golfer, has made major sporting events a feature of his second term, attending the Super Bowl, FIFA Club World Cup final, wrestling, and MMA events, among others.
Trump takes particular pride in being president at a time when the U.S. will host the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly with Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Today’s order will formally reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, first introduced by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966, creating school-based programs that reward “excellence in physical education” and developing criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award, according to details seen by CNN.
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The test, administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., brings back the fitness challenge administered in public schools from 1966 to 2012, awarding presidential recognition to children who received the highest scores.
Former President Barack Obama replaced the test in 2012 with an assessment called the FitnessGram, which focuses on improving individual health rather than exceptionalism. Various adaptations had previously been made under the Clinton and Bush administrations.
The original test was based on an Eisenhower administration initiative that consisted of pull-ups, sit-ups, a shuttle run (running back and forth between two points), standing broad jumps, a 50-yard dash, and a softball distance throw. It was modified over the years, including the addition of longer running options and the elimination of the softball throw.
“President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles — creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The White House says the order addresses a “widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness” and instructs the presidential council to partner with professional athletes, sports organizations, and other influential figures.
Many of those high-profile individuals will join the president at the White House on Friday to become formal members of the council. All of them have close ties to Trump.
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Butker met with the president in the Oval Office earlier this year and remains a controversial figure after he said in a commencement speech that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals. He defended his address and emphasized his Catholic faith.
Among other contentious comments, Butker also called Pride Month a “deadly sin.”
DeChambeau, a Trump favorite who currently plays on the LIV Golf League and recently visited the White House, where he played golf on the South Lawn, is being named chairman of the council.
Taylor, a New York City football star in the 1980s and 1990s for the NY Giants, has previously spoken at Trump campaign rallies.
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Other attendees expected at Thursday’s event include Cody Campbell, a former college football player and head of Texas Tech’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective, who has been a key voice shaping Trump’s policies on college sports; Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the WWE’s Chief Content Officer and 14-time World Champion, who is the public face of a company with a long-standing relationship with Trump; Annika Sorenstam, a Swedish professional golfer considered one of the most successful female golfers in history; and Stephen Soloway, a New Jersey physician who served on Trump’s sports council during his first term.
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In addition to touting his second term coinciding with the U.S. hosting multiple major international sporting events, the president also utilizes sports as a tool in his broader agenda to reshape cultural issues.
Most recently, he threatened the Washington Commanders NFL team, warning them to change their name back to the “Redskins” or face problems in securing a deal for a new stadium. Trump similarly wants the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to revert to being the “Indians.”
The teams changed their names in 2020 and 201, respectively, after years of pressure from groups complaining that their names and mascot logos were racially offensive to Native Americans.
Trump has also used sports as a bully pulpit to push new policies attacking transgender athletes.
