- President Trump reinstated the presidential fitness test, requiring students to perform physical challenges like push-ups and a mile run.
- Attendees at the signing ceremony included prominent athletes and controversial figures like Harrison Butker and Lawrence Taylor.
- Paul Levesque, also known as “Triple H,” a former wrestler and son-in-law of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, was present at the signing.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 31, reinstating the presidential fitness test.
The fitness test, which was overhauled under President Barack Obama, requires students to do physical challenges, including push-ups and running a mile.
“This is an important step in our mission to make America healthy again,” Trump said at the signing, where he also reinstated the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Trump had with him several prominent athletes and sports figures, some of whom will be appointed to that council.
Here is what to know about the event and the attendees:
‘Make America Fit Again’: Trump brings back mile run, push up test for schools
Who is Triple H?
Paul Levesque, known as “Triple H,” is a former wrestler and the chief content officer for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He has also been known in the wrestling world as The Connecticut Blue Blood, The King of Kings, The Cerebral Assassin and The Game. His WWE bio states he is in the WWE Hall of Fame, class of 2025.
“(A) man who you’re not gonna mess around with,” Trump called him at the event, shortly before patting him on the arm and squeezing his bicep. “Very strong. He’s a strong guy.”
Triple H is the son-in-law of Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, who was also in attendance at the signing.
What is the presidential fitness test?
The presidential fitness test originally consisted of five events: The one-mile run, pull-ups or flexed-arm hang, sit-ups, shuttle run and the sit-and-reach. Right-angle push-ups were later incorporated.
It first became part of physical education classes under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, but sunsetted in the 2012-2013 school year under the Obama administration. The fitness test was dropped to shift focus from students’ performance to overall health as they grow up.
The executive order signed by Trump said the administration is bringing back the test due to the high rates of obesity and chronic disease in the U.S.
Lawrence Taylor, Harrison Butker also joined signing event
Trump was joined at the event by athletes across golf, football and wrestling. Also in attendance were LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Texas Tech’s Name, Image and Likeness collective head Cody Campbell, and former pro-golfer ten-time major champion Annika Sorenstam.
Some controversial figures also attended: Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker, who gave a controversial commencement speech in 2024 that told women they should focus on their home lives above their careers; and Lawrence Taylor, seen as the greatest defensive player in NFL history who is a registered sex offender after admitting to having sex with a prostitute he believed was 19 years old but was actually 16, according to the TimesHerald-Record.
It was not immediately clear if all those in attendance would be on the presidential council, which falls under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The White House did not immediately respond to an inquiry from USA TODAY.
Contributing: Jon Hoefling, Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
