Liberals push back on push-ups as MAHA used as another political fault line

Trump’s recent health initiatives aim to address rising childhood obesity and promote physical health, potentially shaping the next generation’s well-being and mental health.

Published: August 12, 2025 10:54pm

In late July, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test. After over a half-century of implementation, the standardized fitness test was ended by former President Barack Obama, before being revived under the current administration. Obama's cessation and Trump's resumption is on-brand in today's political climate, with Trump and his supporters encouraging the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and Trump's detractors pushing against it. 

Following the announcement, it became yet another predictable example of the divide, with liberals opposed to the resumption of the program and its health-related initiatives. 

Critics argue that the program will "revive painful memories," is "pointless and stupid" and "is nostalgia in the worst way." These headlines from The New York Times, Huffington Post and Washington Post are thematic of the left's view of the fitness and health renaissance under the Trump administration. Much like in the world of advertising, where thinness, attractiveness and athleticism are making a comeback, the liberal left in America are not fans. 

That was then, this is now

In 2010, the same critics gushed over Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" program, which was similarly designed to combat childhood obesity. In an interview on Kylie Kelce’s "Not Gonna Lie" podcast, the former First Lady expressed surprise at the left spurning the program.

“I was trying to be strategic about aligning my agenda with something that was important to the West Wing,” she said. “I thought, there’s no way that anyone is going to take issue with trying to make school lunches healthier, getting kids more active, really just trying to make the next generation healthier than ours. And boy, was I wrong.” 

"It became a partisan issue," Ms. Obama lamented.

Approximately 19.7% of children and adolescents aged 2–19 in the United States were clinically obese between 2017 and 2020, equating to about 14.7 million youths, roughly one in five U.S. children and adolescents.

The cost to American taxpayers is exorbitant. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the estimated annual medical cost of childhood obesity in 2019 dollars was $1.3 billion and was $116 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight. 

It is not yet clear whether the reinstated Presidential Fitness Test will mirror the previous format of the program before it was canceled, as Trump's executive order did not state a specific framework for how the new version will be assessed. The original test, which was discontinued in 2012 under the Obama administration, evaluated students on physical tasks like push-ups, pull-ups, curl-ups, a mile run, and the sit-and-reach, with high achievers earning the Presidential Physical Fitness Award.

The Obama administration replaced the Presidential Fitness Test after the 2012-13 school year and replaced it with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which sought to emphasize health over athletic performance. The updated program, supported by Obama's U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC, shifted focus to comprehensive evaluation using the FitnessGram tool to measure aerobic capacity, strength, and flexibility. Unlike the old test, which awarded top performers, Obama's approach examined individual health improvement and broader physical education goals. 

Supporters of Obama's move declared that the new program minimized comparisons between children and was geared more towards students' personal fitness goals. Despite those efforts, childhood obesity rates have continued to rise and many argue the program degraded a spirit of competition that is innately American. 

Vitality as important as weight

It's not only about weight. President Trump’s executive order seeks to combat what his administration describes as alarming rates of childhood obesity, along with chronic illnesses, and sedentary lifestyles. The order also reinstates the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, led by professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Notable athletes, such as Harrison Butker and Lawrence Taylor, were present at the White House for the signing event. 

Advocates like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. highlight its importance in encouraging competition and physical vitality. The initiative aligns with a larger goal to cultivate a “culture of resilience and achievement” among young people, especially within a modern culture known for participation trophies, and the glamorization of obesity under the guise of "body positivity." 

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