WASHINGTON — In an Oval Office ceremony Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the return of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, reinstating a competitive fitness program that had been eliminated from American schools.
The fitness award connects to the Presidential Fitness Test, which served as a standard in public education for many years before being discontinued under former President Barack Obama. Obama’s administration replaced it with a less competitive approach that emphasized long-term wellness over athletic achievement. Trump had issued an executive order last summer to bring back the original testing program, which dates to the 1950s.
“We’re bringing it back,” Trump declared during the White House event, surrounded by young athletes and professional sports figures. “My administration is working very hard to defend America’s cherished athletic traditions and pass our values of excellence and competitiveness to the next generation.”
The original assessment required students to complete various physical challenges, including running one mile and performing sit-ups. Students who scored in the top 15 percent for their gender across all test components earned the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. Officials have not yet announced specific details about how the restored program will operate.
Trump presented the award while surrounded by key Cabinet officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Housing Secretary Scott Turner. Young athletes who participate in football, volleyball, hockey, and golf joined the ceremony.
According to Hegseth, the fitness test will become required at 161 educational institutions on military bases nationwide. He urged civilian schools throughout the country to adopt the program voluntarily.
“We need young, strong, healthy Americans, whether you serve in the military or any other aspect of your life,” Hegseth stated during the Oval Office gathering. “The idea that competition is bad is the beginning of decline of a nation.”
The president, known for his passion for golf and sports, stressed the connection between physical conditioning and mental strength, noting that elite competition is “all about the mind.” He complimented the athletes present while making light of his personal exercise routine.
“I work out so much, like about one minute a day, max — if I’m lucky,” Trump joked.
Trump indicated he would sign the inaugural copy of the restored award on Tuesday. Following the formal ceremony, the children were taken to the South Lawn for recreational activities set to music including “YMCA” and “Eye of the Tiger.” Trump participated as the young people practiced putting, played soccer, and threw baseballs with professional pitcher Noah Syndergaard.
The president linked this fitness initiative to Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. Kennedy, speaking at the event, called Obama’s decision to eliminate the test “very unfortunate” and pointed to rising childhood obesity rates across America.
“We need to teach people how to win and how to lose and how to process victory and defeat,” Kennedy explained.
