A friendly but intense fitness showdown between two top Trump administration officials is drawing new attention to a growing national health campaign.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Department of Defense this week to take on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a timed pullup and pushup challenge, part of a broader push to get Americans moving.
The two squared off in front of an audience of U.S. Navy and Marine service members for what’s now being called the “Pete and Bobby Challenge.” Their goal: 50 pullups and 100 pushups in under five minutes.
Video of the moment, shared first with Fox News Digital, shows the two men in gym gear—Kennedy, 71, wore his usual workout outfit of jeans and a T-shirt—cheering each other on as they powered through the challenge.
“We had our big Pete and Bobby challenge today—50 pullups, 100 pushups. Try to get under five minutes,” Kennedy explained in the clip.
RFK Jr. teamed up with Pete Hegseth and a group of Marines to kick off his new fitness tour, urging Americans to get back in shape.
“We had our big Pete and Bobby challenge today.”
“50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups and you try to get under five minutes.”
“This is the beginning of our… pic.twitter.com/Ke2BniV3ZS
— End Tribalism in Politics (@EndTribalism) August 18, 2025
The challenge is part of the larger “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, or MAHA, which Kennedy is leading. The movement encourages Americans to eat real, whole foods instead of processed meals, and to make regular physical activity a daily habit.
Hegseth, meanwhile, is putting a renewed focus on fitness within the military. He recently responded to a report that two-thirds of active service members are now classified as overweight.
“Completely unacceptable,” he wrote on social media. “This is what happens when standards are IGNORED—and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here. We will be FIT, not FAT.”
During the workout, both men gave it their all. Hegseth came in just over the five-minute mark with a time of 5 minutes, 25 seconds. Kennedy finished shortly after.
“You were right behind me,” Hegseth said in the video, praising the 71-year-old for holding his own.
Defense Secretary Hegseth and HHS Secretary RFK Jr. want young Americans to do the “Pete and Bobby Challenge” — 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/FKtm0yWegj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 19, 2025
Several Marines in the gym also took on the challenge—and some blew past both officials. One completed the full set in under three minutes.
“It was President Trump who inspired us to do this,” Kennedy said after the event. “This is the beginning of our tour, challenging Americans to get back in shape, eat better, but also—you need to get out and exercise.”
The two Cabinet members wrapped the video by calling on another to join in.
“Secretary Duffy, you’re invited to do the Pete and Bobby Challenge,” Hegseth said, addressing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “Can you do it in under five minutes? 50 pullups, 100 pushups. What do you think?”
President Trump has voiced support for the MAHA movement, backing both Kennedy’s and Hegseth’s efforts to promote health and physical fitness.
Earlier this summer, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test and reviving the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition for American schoolchildren. These programs had been replaced under former President Obama, but Trump directed the new council to reward physical education excellence and bring back the Presidential Fitness Award.
“Thank you, President Trump, for setting the example,” Hegseth said at the end of the video. “Presidential physical fitness. Make America Healthy Again. Fit, not fat. We’re going to have a war-fighting force—young men and women who are prepared to defend the nation. We’re doing it as a team. Join us.”
The administration’s message is clear: healthier bodies build a stronger nation. With more challenges planned and more Cabinet members likely to join in, the campaign is just getting started.
