President Trump invited several famous athletes to the White House to announce the return of the Presidential Fitness Test. One of them was Lawrence Taylor, an ex-NFL New York Giants football star and convicted sex offender.
Trump’s decision to host Taylor, 66, raised eyebrows as the president’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein has come under scrutiny. Taylor retired from the NFL in 1993, after playing 13 seasons, all with the Giants. In 2010, police arrested Taylor for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old runaway who was reportedly trafficked to his hotel room. He claimed he thought she was 19.
In a 2011 plea deal, Taylor pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct and patronizing prostitution. He received six years’ probation and a $2,000 fine, and was designated a low-risk Level 1 sex offender.
The victim later sued him in federal court under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Taylor was arrested again in 2021 and 2024 for allegedly failing to update his sex offender registration in Florida, but both charges were later dropped.
Social media personality and Trump critic Brian Krassenstein wrote on X, “Trump literally had Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender who r—d a 16-year-old, featured at the White House as he announced his ‘President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition initiative for kids.” He added, “Sickening!”
What is the Presidential Fitness Test?
BREAKING: Trump literally had Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender who raped a 16-year-old, featured at the White House as he announced his “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition”initiative for kids.
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 1, 2025
Sickening! pic.twitter.com/sxi4PaWTg0
On July 31, 2025, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test, a school-based physical performance assessment. This initiative revives the one-mile run and pull-ups, among other exercises. It’s a departure from the more wellness-focused model adopted under the Obama administration in 2012.
Framed under the “Make America Fit Again” initiative, the revival aims to counter rising youth obesity and inactivity by emphasizing competition and excellence. It’s backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the newly reconstituted Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Golfer Bryson DeChambeau chairs the council, with other sports figures like Annika Sorenstam, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, retired pro-wrestler Triple H, and Taylor on the committee.
While supporters praise the return of structured fitness goals, critics caution it may reignite issues around body shaming and undue pressure on students.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing”
Trump, trying desperately to change the subject from his association with underage sex, brings out his secret weapon: Lawrence Taylor https://t.co/MsuU22Pybr
— The okayest poster there is (@ok_post_guy) July 31, 2025
Finally, whatever Trump’s purpose in reviving the Presidential Fitness Test happens to be, he forgot to tell Taylor, who reportedly said at the ceremony, “I’m proud to be on this team. I don’t know why. I don’t know what we are supposed to be doing, but I’m here to serve. I’m here to serve. OK, so I’m going to do the best I can for as long as I can.” “Nobody like him,” Trump responded.
Taylor’s appearance was noted elsewhere on X, with one post stating, “Trump, trying desperately to change the subject from his association with underage sex, brings out his secret weapon: Lawrence Taylor.”
A comment added, “Registered sex offender praised by U.S. president whose name appears several times in sex trafficker’s files which the Attorney General, who works for the president, refuses to release.”
