Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns

By Fox News · Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will sign a presidential memorandum Tuesday restoring the Presidential Fitness Test Award, according to the White House, reviving a competitive school-based fitness program phased out during the Obama administration. The signing will be attended by members of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, as well as National Fitness Foundation board members including high-profile athletes including golfer Bryson DeChambeau, retired professional golfer Gary Player, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Amani Oruwariye and MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard . The move reintroduces a performance-based benchmark for student fitness, echoing the Trump administration’s broader "Make America Healthy Again" push. Trump first signed an executive order to reestablish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and the Presidential Fitness Test last year, with the memorandum on Tuesday paving the way for the administration to restore the test and awards at all American schools, Fox News Digital learned. TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REESTABLISH PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST The revitalized award emphasizes measurable athletic performance standards similar to earlier versions of the test, which ranked students based on physical achievement, according to a copy of the National Physical Fitness Award obtained by Fox News Digital. The original Presidential Physical Fitness Test was phased out during former President Barack Obama ’s second term and replaced with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, part of the "Let’s Move" initiative. Critics at the time argued that the test focused too much on performance and competition, discouraging less athletic students. The President’s Council on Youth Fitness was first established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after studies showed American children were less physically fit than European peers. Schools began administering a fitness test under President John F. Kennedy, launching the President’s Coun…