Trump signs executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test

TIME

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.

Transcript

00:00Remember those sit-up, push-up, and mile-run tests in gym class as a kid?

00:04They were part of what's called the Presidential Fitness Test.

00:07And now, thanks to President Donald Trump, it's making a comeback.

00:10On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order reviving the school fitness program

00:14as part of a broader push to address what the White House calls

00:16crisis levels of childhood obesity, inactivity, and declining physical health.

00:21President Lyndon B. Johnson first introduced the fitness test in 1966,

00:24and it was federally mandated in public school gym classes for nearly five decades.

00:28Students were tested on sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, running, and flexibility,

00:33and top performers who met certain criteria would receive presidential recognition,

00:37usually a certificate signed by the president.

00:39But in 2012, former President Barack Obama got rid of the test and replaced it with the fitness gram,

00:44which was a less competitive program focused on individual health goals

00:47rather than ranking kids against each other.

00:50Trump's executive order tasks the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition

00:54to develop the criteria for the new Presidential Fitness Award.

00:57The role of administering the test will fall to Secretary of Health and Human Services,

01:01Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's been vocal about childhood obesity and making America healthy again.

01:05Several big-name athletes accompany Trump during the signing,

01:08such as Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker,

01:11golfer Bryson DeChambeau, and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

01:15The announcement comes as the U.S. is preparing to host the Ryder Cup later this year,

01:19the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

01:23The mention of how the ponerse code wins.

01:25The reason above the

01:29the

01:31speeding

01:32of

01:32the

01:33n

Category

Transcript

Recommended