U.S. President Donald Trump drew attention with a joke about his own exercise habits as he announced the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test. While stressing the need for exercise, he told the audience he works out "about one minute a day," drawing laughter from those present.
According to U.S. political news outlet The Hill and other media on Thursday (local time), Trump signed an executive order at the White House restoring the Presidential Fitness Test and the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
The program, which previously assessed the basic physical fitness of students and citizens, evaluated students through activities such as the one-mile run and sit-ups, awarding fitness medals to those in the top 15 percent. However, under the Barack Obama administration, the program was replaced with one that reduced competitive elements and focused on long-term health, effectively ending the test.
At the event, Trump said, "I exercise quite a lot," before adding, "If I'm lucky, about one minute a day," prompting laughter from attendees.
At the same event, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. referenced the "50-mile march" once proposed by former President John F. Kennedy and expressed confidence in the current cabinet's fitness. "Members of the current cabinet could definitely do it," he said, naming several secretaries directly.
When Trump interjected, "Why was my name left out?" Kennedy praised the president's stamina, saying, "The president walks about nine miles on the golf course every weekend." Trump quickly shot back, "That's when I'm not using a cart," drawing another round of laughter.
Trump is well known as a golf enthusiast. He has previously treated golf rounds as a form of exercise, emphasizing his fast pace of play and the amount of walking involved. In 2020, he said on social media that he "gets a little exercise while handling a lot of work on the course."
In a 2018 interview, he also said, "I exercise more than people think," describing walking and short runs as part of his workout routine.
