RFK Jr. teams up with Pete Hegseth in an ultimate fitness showdown; launches ‘Pete & Bobby Challenge’ (Pic credit: X/@HHSGov)
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has rolled out the “Pete and Bobby Challenge”, pairing up with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as part of the Trump administration’s nationwide “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. Kennedy and Pete Hegseth squared off in a fitness contest that involved completing 50 pull-ups and 100 pushups in under five minutes at the Pentagon. The challenge was unveiled through a video first shared with Fox News Digital. The initiative is aimed at encouraging Americans to swap “fat” for “fit.” “I teamed up with @SecDef Hegseth for the ‘Pete & Bobby Challenge’ — 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups. This is the start of a nationwide push to get Americans fit again,” Kennedy wrote on X. The contest saw both leaders push their limits, with Hegseth finishing just over the five-minute mark, emerging as the winner in the challenge.Secretary Kennedy also invited Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to take part in the next round of the challenge. Pete Hegseth in a post on X thanked President Donald Trump for his efforts to make Americans fit again. “President Trump set the example by putting forth efforts to make America healthy again. That’s why we are introducing the Pete and Bobby challenge. 100 push-ups. 50 pull-ups. 10 minutes.” The effort tied into the broader health push by the Trump administration. Kennedy advocated for whole foods over processed meals, while Hegseth linked the campaign to ensuring the US military remained among the fittest and best-prepared forces in the world. At the youth level, President Donald Trump reinstated the Presidential Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, which had been retired under former President Barack Obama in favor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. By executive order signed in July, Trump directed the council to launch school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education and to design a Presidential Fitness Award.
