According to the Federal Register, Donald Trump has signed 176 executive orders since taking office for the second time. Many of those orders sparked backlash and were widely deemed unlawful, but that didn’t stop him from pushing his agenda forward.
Among the rest, he prompted outrage from environmental groups and international leaders when he decided to pull out of the Paris Accord again. Further, he ended the federal DEI programs, renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, imposed huge tariffs on basically every country on Earth, redefine “sex” in all federal policy as biological sex assigned at birth, excluding gender identity, and more.
Most recently, Trump signed an executive order that brings back the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools, a test generations of students dreaded.
The test was first introduced in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and involves physical activities such as a one-mile run, sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups.
“This is an important step in our mission to make America healthy again,” Trump stated when he signed the executive order, with golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker and former New York Giants player Lawrence Taylor by his side.
“It’s something that’s very important, what we’re doing, very important. Dating back to the administration of President Dwight D Eisenhower, this council has championed the vigor and strength and vitality of the American people today. We continue that very proud tradition.”
Trump added: “It was a big deal. This was a wonderful tradition, and we’re bringing it back. It’s turned out to be very, very popular to do.”
In 2012, then-President Barack Obama replaced the Presidential Fitness Test with a new program called FitnessGram, but now under Trump the dreaded test is back again.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN: “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.”
The decision comes at the time when the US is preparing to host significant sporting events such as the 2025 Ryder Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The public, however, especially those who were students when the test was part of the school system, remember it being brutal.
Taking to Reddit, one person wrote, “We did this ‘beep test’ for varsity soccer and kids would throw up or nearly throw up every summer. It was brutal.” Another added: “I remember doing this test in elementary school. I can still hear the audio from this stupid test in my head. I remember I only got up to like 15 or so before I was done…I was an out of shape kid.”
There were also those who challenged Trump to take it himself.
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