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title: Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test  | TIME
description: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order reviving the Presidential Fitness Test, the once-ubiquitous school program that for more than five decades had American children running miles, doing sit-ups, and stretching at least twice a year during gym class.
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og:description: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order reviving the Presidential Fitness Test, the once-ubiquitous school program that for more than five decades had American children running miles, doing sit-ups, and stretching at least twice a year during gym class.
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* U.S.

# Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pHCtNswC.m3u8" -->
## Video: Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test

[Watch (HLS stream): Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pHCtNswC.m3u8) (1:26)

![Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/pHCtNswC/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2025-07-31. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order reviving the Presidential Fitness Test, the once-ubiquitous school program that for more than five decades had American children running miles, doing sit-ups, and stretching at least twice a year during gym class._


---

Jul 31, 2025 11:20 PM UTC

---

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---


## Transcript

[00:00] Remember those sit up,
[00:01] push up and mile run tests in gym class as a kid.
[00:04] They were part of what's called the presidential fitness test.
[00:06] And now, thanks to President Donald Trump,
[00:08] it's making a comeback.
[00:10] On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order
[00:12] reviving the school fitness program as part of
[00:14] a broader push to address what the white House calls crisis levels of childhood obesity,
[00:18] inactivity and declining physical health.
[00:20] President Lyndon B Johnson first introduced the fitness test in 1966,
[00:24] and it was federally mandated in public school gym classes for nearly five decades.
[00:28] Students were tested on sit ups,
[00:30] push ups, pull ups, running and flexibility,
[00:33] and top performers who met certain criteria would receive presidential recognition,
[00:37] usually a certificate signed by the president.
[00:39] But in 2012, former President Barack Obama got
[00:42] rid of the test and replaced it with the Fitness Gram,
[00:44] which was a less competitive program focused on
[00:46] individual health goals rather than ranking kids against each other.
[00:50] Trump's executive order tasks the President's Council on Sports,
[00:53] Fitness and Nutrition to develop the criteria for the new Presidential Fitness Award.
[00:57] The role of administering the test will fall to Secretary
[00:59] of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr,
[01:02] who has been vocal about childhood obesity and making America healthy again.
[01:05] Several big name athletes accompanied Trump during the signing,
[01:08] such as Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker,
[01:11] golfer Bryson DeChambeau and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
[01:15] The announcement comes as the US is preparing to host the Ryder Cup later this year,
[01:19] the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

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