Have you heard of the “Pete and Bobby Challenge”? I had not.
But this week, deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the “Bobby” in the title — met for a little friendly fitness competition.
Then Hegseth — obviously the “Pete” in the title — posted a short video on X, which was reposted by Kennedy. The video’s had thousands of views and hundreds of comments already.
It’s all about bolstering Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again campaign and ties in well with President Donald Trump’s recent revival of the Presidential Fitness Test in schools nationwide.
Surrounded by service men and women, Kennedy and Hegseth embarked on a quest to do 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in less than 10 minutes. Hegseth called it a goal to be “fit, not fat.” They also vowed to challenge others, like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. They hope all Americans will all try it and challenge others to do the same.
They joshed each other and those around them good-naturedly about the results. Forgive the spoiler, but defense’s Hegseth beat the time of the nation’s top health guy, Kennedy, finishing the push-and-pull challenge in five minutes and 25 seconds to Kennedy’s five minutes and 48 seconds.
Both were handily beat by some of the military members who were nearby, both men and women, who got the job done in well under five minutes.
The setting was especially apropos because federal officials have expressed concerns that so many Americans, including young people, are not fit enough to be able to serve in the nation’s military.