President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31, 2025, bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test to schools. President Trump wants to bring back a healthy lifestyle for kids, which, in turn, will make America better.
History
In 1956, President Eisenhower created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness after European students out-performed American students in physical fitness. [1] When Lyndon B. Johnson was President, the Presidential Physical Fitness Award Program was created; the program allowed students who performed above a certain percentile to receive an award.
The program continued until 2013, when President Obama made the program the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which concentrated less on “athletic performance,” but rather provided “a barometer on student’s health.” [2]
President Trump
On July 31st, Trump signed an executive order, bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test. The press release mentioned three goals for re-instituting the fitness test: 1. Restoring health and fitness for America’s youth, 2. Maintaining a strong and vital America, and 3. Making America active again. [3]
The press release also said that the program would partner with professional athletes, sports organizations, and influential figures.
The Test
Although there has been no definite layout of Trump’s Presidential Fitness Test, previous tests have included five exercises. The five exercises were as follows: a one-mile run, sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups, a shuttle run, and a v-sit test. [4]
Notes:
- ^What is the Presidential Fitness Test? (go back ↩)
- ^What is the Presidential Fitness Test? (go back ↩)
- ^Fact Sheet: President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test (go back ↩)
- ^Everything You Need to Know About the Presidential Fitness Test (go back ↩)
