Trump restores Presidential Fitness Test in US schools
The revived award will use benchmarked exercises and could expand nationwide after starting in 161 Defense Department schools, officials said.
- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum reviving the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, restoring a competitive school-based program phased out during the Obama administration over a decade ago.
- The original test, first launched under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, emphasized athletic performance until 2012, when the Presidential Youth Fitness Program replaced it to prioritize health and personal progress over competition.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited that 77% of youth cannot qualify for military service, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mandated pilots at 161 schools on U.S. military installations.
- Students will complete a 1-mile run, sit-ups, and push-ups, with those scoring above the 85th percentile receiving the award; the administration aims to restore competitive standards for national strength.
- The program aligns with the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, positioning the fitness initiative as part of the administration's broader push to address childhood obesity and restore traditional athletic values in schools.
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Presidential Physical Fitness Award Returns to U.S. Schools
Source: The Washington Post / Getty Presidential Physical Fitness Award Returns to U.S. Schools The Presidential Physical Fitness Award is returning to American schools after President Donald Trump revived the program in 2026. First created in the 1950s, the award was tied to a national fitness test that measured students through activities such as sit-ups, running, and other physical challenges. For decades, it stood as a symbol of achievement…
The Independent
The Independent (US)Jimmy Kimmel roasts Trump for reinstating test he ‘would have no chance of passing’
Trump signed an executive order to revive the Presidential Fitness Test in schools nationwide, declaring that the ‘next few years will be a golden age of athletics’
In schools on military bases, the test is mandatory. It is part of Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" plan.
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President Donald Trump put on a master class in performing his signature dance on the South Lawn of the White House on May 5, 2026, providing youngsters with a tutorial on how to boogie-down like the commander-in-chief. The playful moment came just after the president revealed how long he works out on a daily basis. The event, attended by a small group of children, was focused on the topics of physical fitness and youth athletics. A video of the…
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