President Donald Trump resurrected the Presidential Physical Fitness Award in an Oval Office ceremony Tuesday, tying the revival to his administration’s broader push to reestablish competitive fitness standards in American schools. The award, which recognizes students who score above the 85th percentile on a battery of physical exercises, had been dormant since the Obama administration replaced the underlying fitness test with a non-competitive, health-focused alternative.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing alongside Trump, said the reinstated test will be mandatory for students at 161 schools located on U.S. military installations. “We need young, strong, healthy Americans, whether you serve in the military or any other aspect of your life,” Hegseth said. “The idea that competition is bad is the beginning of decline of a nation.”
Trump signed an executive order last summer to bring back the fitness test, which was created in the 1950s and became a public-school fixture for decades. The earlier exam tested students on exercises including a 1-mile run, sit-ups, and other physical benchmarks. Specific details of the revived version have not yet been released.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. linked the fitness initiative to his “Make America Healthy Again” platform, calling the Obama-era decision to discontinue the test “very unfortunate” and citing increased obesity rates among American children. “We need to teach people how to win and how to lose and how to process victory and defeat,” Kennedy said.
The Oval Office event drew Cabinet members including Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Housing Secretary Scott Turner, along with children who said they participated in sports ranging from football to golf. Trump, an avid golfer, joked about his own exercise habits. “I work out so much, like about one minute a day, max — if I’m lucky,” he said.
After the ceremony, children were invited to the South Lawn for sports activities set to a playlist that included “YMCA” and “Eye of the Tiger.” Trump joined outdoors as the group putted on a green, kicked soccer balls, and threw a baseball with former major-league pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The president said he would sign the first copy of the new award later Tuesday.