HHS announces return of Presidential Fitness Test as Trump admin revives youth fitness initiative

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced June 29 that the Trump administration is restoring the Presidential Fitness Test and launching a nationwide campaign to encourage children to become more physically active.

Kennedy unveiled the initiative at the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, where more than 75 children completed Presidential Fitness Test exercises alongside Kennedy, Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew, and professional wrestlers from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). 

"More than 60 years ago, my uncle, President John F. Kennedy, challenged America to make physical fitness a national priority because he understood that the strength of our nation begins with the health of our people," Kennedy said in an emailed press release announcing the initiative. "Today, President Trump is restoring that vision."

The Presidential Fitness Test, first introduced in the 1960s, measures students' physical abilities through exercises designed to assess strength, endurance, speed, and agility. It was phased out during the Obama administration due to criticism that the test placed too much emphasis on competition and could discourage children who were less physically fit. 

It was replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which shifted the focus to improving students' individual health and fitness over time. President Donald Trump signed the order to re-instate the test last year. 

Kennedy said restoring the test and launching and launching a new online resource would give "parents, schools, and communities the tools to help children build healthy habits, strengthen their bodies, and discover what they're capable of achieving."

The initiative is part of Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.

According to HHS, schools nationwide will begin administering the Presidential Fitness Test this fall using updated, age-appropriate standards that measure strength, endurance, speed, and agility while encouraging personal improvement. The department said the restored test is intended to advance its original mission of promoting youth fitness and encouraging schools to prioritize physical education.

The department cited a growing childhood health crisis, saying nearly one in five children is overweight or obese and that 77% of young Americans are ineligible for military service, with poor health and physical fitness among the leading reasons.

HHS will partner this summer with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, WWE, and community organizations nationwide to help children prepare for the fitness test. The department also said states led by both Republicans and Democrats have committed to bringing the test back to their schools, although it did not identify the participating states.

The event featured WWE executive Paul Levesque, who serves as vice chair of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, along with WWE stars Cody Rhodes and Charlotte Flair.

Van Drew said restoring the test would help make physical activity "a bigger part of" students' daily lives.

"Bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test will give students a positive goal to work toward and make physical activity a bigger part of their everyday lives," Van Drew said. "I am proud to work with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to restore this important tradition and help build a stronger, healthier future for America's children."