A former New York Mets pitcher described meeting Donald Trump as a “dream come true,” praising the former president’s vitality and optimism during a recent White House event focused on reviving school fitness tests.
Noah Syndergaard, speaking after his appearance at the White House on Tuesday for the administration’s initiative to reintroduce annual Presidential Fitness Tests in U.S. schools, stated he was “envious of the mental energy this guy has.” The remarks came during an interview on Fox News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle, where Syndergaard emphasized Trump’s “sharpness” and “comedic nature,” calling him “a joy to be around.”
Syndergaard noted he “really just doesn’t quite understand the negativity or the pessimism” some attribute to Trump, highlighting his self-described patriotism and concern for national well-being. The pitcher’s comments follow Trump’s executive order last year to reestablish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and restore the Presidential Fitness Test at schools—a move that has drawn recent social media discussion.
The initiative aims to revive a standardized athletic assessment program similar to earlier versions of the test, which previously ranked students by physical performance. The original Presidential Physical Fitness Test was discontinued during Barack Obama’s second term in favor of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program under his administration’s “Let’s Move” initiative. Historically, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness traces its roots to Eisenhower-era efforts addressing declining student fitness levels among American children.