President Donald Trump on Thursday will host several professional athletes at the White House to announce a new executive order expanding on the president's sports, fitness, and nutrition council.
The order's directives will include reviving the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools.
"MAKE AMERICA FIT AGAIN! (muscle emoji)," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted Thursday morning on X.
"'The order will formally reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, first introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, creating school-based programs that reward 'excellence in physical education.'"
Leavitt also quoted from a CNN story that first announced the event.
Golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Annika Sorenstam, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor were expected to be among the athletes joining Trump for the announcement.
DeChambeau, who currently plays on the LIV Golf tour, will be named chairman of the council, CNN reported.
The Presidential Fitness Test, to be administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., brings back the fitness challenge present in public schools from 1966 to 2012. Students who received the highest scores earned presidential recognition.
Former President Barack Obama abandoned the test in 2012, when it was replaced by an assessment called the FitnessGram, which focused on bettering individual health.
"President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles — creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come," Leavitt told CNN in a statement.
Trump's order addresses "the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness," according to the White House. It instructs the presidential council to partner with professional athletes, sports organizations, and influential figures.
The president, an avid golfer and UFC fan, has expressed pride in the U.S. hosting upcoming events including the 2025 Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York; the 2026 FIFA World Cup (with Canada and Mexico); and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
Trump also has supported policies that only biological females compete in women's sports and has threatened to hold up a new stadium deal for Washington's NFL team if it does not restore its old name of the Redskins.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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