Speculation has swirled about the health of Trump — who was the oldest president ever inaugurated when he returned to power last year, and who turns 80 next month.
“I work out so much, like, about one minute a day, max. If I’m lucky,” Trump said before signing the proclamation in the Oval Office.
Trump also joked about his lack of exercise with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who told a story about his father Robert F. Kennedy going on a 50-mile hike.
RFK Jr. said it would be a “breeze” for keen golfer Trump to do the same as “this guy walks nine miles a day on a golf course every weekend.”
“When I’m not using the cart,” Trump, who has frequently been pictured in a golf buggy, added in a mock-dramatic aside.
Golfers Gary Player and Bryson DeChambeau were with Trump for the signing of the order, which brings back the so-called Presidential Fitness Test award for schools.
Several school children were also alongside Trump as he cycled through a series of topics including graphic descriptions of protest deaths in Iran.
The president patted one student on the arm and asked if he was a “strong person,” to which the boy replied “yes, sir.”
“You think you could take me in a fight?” Trump then said, before adding with a chuckle: “I think you could.”
Republican Trump likes to boast about his physical prowess compared with his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 election race due to concerns over his age.
But while Trump keeps up a busy schedule there has been speculation about his health, in particular over bruising to his hands, swelling in his legs and several apparent moments of dozing off in public.
The White House says Trump’s leg swelling is caused by a vein issue while the bruising is due to his enthusiastic consumption of aspirin.