President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Friday reviving the Presidential Fitness Test in US public schools, a programme originally introduced by Lyndon Johnson in 1966. The order expands his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and will be attended by professional athletes including 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.
The test, administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, will award presidential recognition to children achieving the highest scores. It replaces the FitnessGram assessment introduced by Barack Obama in 2012, which focused on individual health improvement rather than exceptionalism. The original test included pull-ups, sit-ups, a shuttle run, standing broad jumps, a 50-yard dash, and a softball throw, though the softball throw was later dropped.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the order aims to 'emphasize healthy, active lifestyles — creating a culture of strength and excellence'. The White House cited a 'widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness' and will partner with professional athletes and sports organisations. DeChambeau has been named chairman of the council, while Butker, Taylor, Levesque, Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam, and others will become formal members.
Butker remains a controversial figure after a commencement speech where he said a woman's accomplishments in the home are more valuable than academic or professional goals, and called Pride Month a 'deadly sin'. Taylor has previously spoken at Trump campaign rallies, and Levesque is the public face of WWE, a company with longstanding ties to Trump. The president has also used sports to advance his cultural agenda, recently threatening the Washington Commanders over their name change.
