Trump revives Presidential Fitness Test, targets US youth obesity crisis
Synopsis
Trump has brought back a Cold War-era school fitness benchmark that Obama scrapped in 2013, framing it as both a public health intervention and a statement on American competitive spirit. With RFK Jr. warning that 77% of US youth can't qualify for military service, the revival carries weight well beyond gym class nostalgia.
Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on 6 May reviving the Presidential Fitness Test , phased out in 2013 under the Obama administration.
HHS Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. cited that 20% of US children are obese and 77% of youth cannot qualify for military service.
The programme will initially expand through over 160 military schools before broader national rollout, according to golfer Bryson DeChambeau .
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth linked youth physical fitness directly to military readiness and national security.
The original test, introduced under President John F.
Kennedy , included pull-ups, sit-ups, shuttle runs, and endurance exercises.
US President Donald Trump on 6 May announced the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test at a White House event, restoring a decades-old programme that had been phased out in 2013 under the Obama administration. The move, framed as a national push to rebuild physical fitness among American children, was accompanied by a signed proclamation recognising national youth sports and fitness.
What Trump Announced
Speaking alongside professional athletes, cabinet officials, and children at the White House, Trump signed what he described as
Point of View
' Trump turns a school gym programme into a culture-war marker. Yet the underlying data RFK Jr. cited — 77% of youth unfit for military service, obesity rates quadrupling among children — is not partisan fiction; it reflects a genuine and worsening national health trajectory. The question is whether a certificate and a proclamation can move those numbers, or whether the administration will follow through with the funding, curriculum integration, and school-level infrastructure that actually changed outcomes the first time around. Nostalgia for Cold War discipline is easy; replicating its reach in a fragmented, underfunded public school system is considerably harder.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Presidential Fitness Test that Trump revived?
The Presidential Fitness Test is a school-based physical fitness assessment originally introduced during the presidency of John F. Kennedy in the Cold War era. It included exercises such as pull-ups, sit-ups, shuttle runs, and endurance tests, with top-performing students receiving awards and certificates. It was phased out in 2013 under the Obama administration and replaced with a broader health-focused initiative.
Why did Trump revive the Presidential Fitness Test?
Trump framed the revival as a response to a national youth health crisis, citing rising childhood obesity and the fact that a large proportion of American youth are reportedly unfit for military service. The event also carried political undertones, with Trump directly criticising the Obama administration for discontinuing the programme.
What did RFK Jr. say about youth health at the White House event?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the US is 'the sickest nation in the world,' noting that childhood obesity has risen from 5% to 20%, 70% of adults are obese or overweight, and 77% of American children cannot qualify for military service. He also praised the original programme created by his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
Where will the revived Presidential Fitness Test first be implemented?
According to golfer Bryson DeChambeau, the programme will initially be introduced in over 160 military schools and bases through a partnership with the Department of Defence, before broader national adoption is pursued.
How does the Presidential Fitness Test revival relate to military readiness?
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that almost three-fourths of American young people do not qualify for military service, attributing a significant part of that to poor physical fitness. The revival is partly positioned as a long-term strategy to improve the physical preparedness of the future military-eligible population.
