Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked social media backlash Monday after citing World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to defend the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test. In a NewsNation interview, Kennedy argued that discontinuing the test was a mistake, stating, “I think it was a huge mistake. I mean, look at our kids, we literally have the sickest population in the world.”
Criticism of the Test and Kennedy’s Response
Host Anna Kooiman noted that the previous test, which began in 1966, faced backlash for harming self-esteem among less athletic children. She asked how a renewed version would avoid such concerns. Kennedy replied, “Failure is a part of life,” then invoked WWE as an example: “Listen, the great thing about WWE, that’s so inspiring, is all of these guys have failed. Every one of them has lost fights. The trick is, how do you persuade yourself to stand back up and fight again?”
WWE matches are scripted with predetermined outcomes, a fact widely known. Social media users on X mocked Kennedy for appearing to treat WWE fights as real, while others joked he might be maintaining “kayfabe,” the wrestling term for preserving the illusion of authenticity.
Presidential Fitness Test History
The test was replaced under President Barack Obama after the 2012-2013 school year with a different program. Last summer, President Donald Trump signed an order to reestablish the original test.
WWE Executive’s Perspective
Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE chief content officer and former star, also serves as vice chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. He scripted WWE fights and said the renewed test focuses on “rewarding effort, not just the upper end of success.” Levesque added, “It’s incredibly important for us to teach kids to support the kid that can’t do it… you don’t bully them, you don’t make fun of them.”
