health
Trump Resurrects Presidential Fitness Test in MAHA Move
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Tuesday to restore the Presidential Fitness Test Award, reviving the school-based competitive fitness program as part of the administration’s broader Make America Healthy Again agenda.
TL;DR
- President Trump signed a presidential memorandum to restore the Presidential Fitness Test Award.
- The program aims to revive school-based competitive fitness as part of the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.
- Childhood obesity is a priority, with about 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents being medically obese.
- Physical fitness is linked to military preparedness, as a significant portion of U.S. adolescents do not qualify for military service.
- The Presidential Fitness Test was first launched by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and phased out by President Barack Obama in 2013.
- Critics of the original test argued it focused too much on performance rather than overall wellness.
- The Department of Education will not mandate the test, but hopes for nationwide adoption.
- The return of the test coincides with several upcoming international and national athletic events hosted in the U.S.