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-Editorial
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on July 31 restoring two longstanding national programs: the Presidential Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. The move aims to combat declining youth health and revive interest in physical education across the United States.
The Executive Order reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test as a nationwide standard for evaluating student fitness. Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, the test will be part of a broader federal strategy to promote physical activity, nutrition, and civic responsibility among youth.
Trump was joined at the signing by Vice President J.D. Vance, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and several prominent athletes, including golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Annika Sörenstam, football legend Lawrence Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, and retired professional wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“This is not just about strength—it’s about character and confidence,” Trump said during remarks at the White House. “We’re making fitness fun, competitive, and cool again.”
The Executive Order also revitalizes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, which will create school-based programs and oversee the development of a Presidential Fitness Award. The Council is charged with recommending policies to promote youth sports, improve nutrition, and expand physical education nationwide. Members will be appointed by the president and serve two-year terms.
Trump tied the initiative to national goals for military readiness and public health, citing rising rates of obesity and chronic disease as threats to future generations. The order calls for collaboration between government, athletes, schools, and private organizations to promote a national “culture of strength, vitality, and excellence.”
The administration also positioned the fitness push within a broader agenda to restore traditional American sports values, including restrictions on gender participation in college athletics and reform of the NCAA transfer portal.
The reestablishment of these programs comes ahead of a significant sports calendar for the U.S., with the nation set to host the Ryder Cup, Presidents’ Cup, FIFA World Cup, and Olympic Games over the next three years. The year 2026 will also mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and the 70th anniversary of the original President’s Council on Youth Fitness, created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Executive Order revokes previous related directives, including Trump’s own 2018 order establishing the Council, and amends the 2002 order that originally governed it. The new version explicitly reintroduces the fitness test and sets new priorities aimed at addressing what the administration calls a “national health crisis.”
The Council will automatically sunset in 2027 unless renewed by the president.