RFK Jr. hails 'inspiring' WWE wrestlers during MAHA fitness event
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the WWE for “inspiring” people that “failure is part of life” while promoting the restored Presidential Physical Fitness Test.
During a sitdown interview with NewsNation alongside former WWE wrestler and current COO Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Kennedy said all the WWE stars have “failed” but managed to fight again.
“The great thing about WWE that’s so inspiring is all of these guys have failed, every one of them has lost fights, and the trick is how do you persuade yourself to stand back up to fight again,” Kennedy said.
It’s unclear if Kennedy was implying wins and losses matter in the WWE, which scripts its outcomes.
Kennedy’s response addressed criticisms that the fitness test hurt children’s self-esteem, arguing that “failure is part of life” and pointing to WWE wrestlers as examples.
Later in the interview, Kennedy lauded the WWE again for demonstrating perseverance in sports.
“That’s the beauty of WWE, is that you lose sometimes and you win sometimes,” Kennedy said. “And if you keep sticking at it, you’re ultimately going to come out on top.”
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum reviving the Presidential Physical Fitness Test Award in May, following an executive order he signed last July reestablishing a fitness test in public schools.
“My administration is working very hard to defend America’s cherished athletic traditions and pass our values of excellence and competitiveness to the next generation,” Trump said in May.
A top priority for the Make America Healthy Again initiative under Kennedy’s leadership at HHS is lowering the childhood obesity rate.
Nearly 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the United States is medically obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The interview with NewsNation was filmed at the launch event with the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City for the return of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test and GetActive.gov/kids.
HHS is partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of America, the WWE, and other community organizations across the country to help children prepare for the presidential fitness test, which schools will administer beginning in the fall.
The test aims to promote youth fitness and encourage schools nationwide to prioritize physical education in the classroom, according to a HHS press release.
President Barack Obama phased out the presidential fitness test in 2013 and replaced it with a different youth fitness program that was part of then-first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign.