Trump's $1 billion bet to make airports healthy: good policy or political theater?
RFK's pullups, healthier airports, and Two Percent.
The Trump Administration on Monday launched a “Make Travel Friendly Again” campaign.
The idea is rather simple. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is giving $1 billion in funding to make airports a bit healthier and more family-friendly.
It’s spearheaded by the DOT in partnership with the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
From the DOT press release:
From needing more dedicated spaces for young children and exercise equipment, to finding places for mothers to nurse their children, to staying fit on the go, or struggling to find more healthy food options, the Trump Administration is committed to making every stage of the travel journey more seamless.
Airports can use the funds based on what they think they need. That could include:
Creating more areas for exercise and kids’ play.
Adding more rooms and pods for nursing mothers.
Creating sensory rooms for kids with special needs.
Adding more fresh, whole food options.
RFK Jr. and DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced this at a press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport—and did some pullups in the terminal to generate buzz.
Here’s a video of RFK Jr. banging out 20 pullups at the conference.
(As my friend Pavel Macek wrote regarding RFK’s pullups: “Sure, he doesn’t lock out his elbows, and he doesn’t pull himself all the way up. But he’s 71. Now let’s see you do 20 pullups like that!” Which: fair enough.)
Secretary Duffy Tweeted:
Having pull-up bars in airports means you can stay fit while traveling. You can challenge yourself, or better yet, challenge your friends & family during a layover.
Healthier airports. This shouldn’t be controversial, right?
Ha! Sucker.
This is America in 2025. Politicized reflexes were instantly triggered: left-leaning outlets were critical, right-leaning outlets were positive. Because God forbid anyone have an unpredictable take these days!
Left-leaning headlines:
Daily Beast: “Trump Goons Unleash Airport Pull-Up Contest Outside Bathroom.”
The Independent: “RFK Jr and Trump officials do pull-ups in bizarre airport press conference.”
Right-leaning headlines:
Fox News: “Trump Cabinet Members Do Pull-Ups at Airport to Launch $1B Family Travel Plan.”
The Telegraph: “RFK Jr in push to Make Airports Healthy Again.”
Of course, we could raise many questions. Like, shouldn’t the DOT focus on the air traffic controller problem? Couldn’t we use this money to prevent delays? Here’s some seemingly good news: The government recently awarded a $12.5 billion contract to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system, and is trying to allocate another $20 billion to improving the FAA. So this may not be an either/or. It might be part of a broader push to improve air travel.
But let’s ignore the culture war for a second and ask the relevant question:
Is this actually good health policy, or just political theater?
Let’s do a thorough analysis and talk about what critics on the left and right are both missing.
Today we’ll cover:
The “$1 Billion Nudge”: We analyze whether putting exercise stations in terminals is a waste of taxpayer money or if it could improve public health.
The “Field of Dreams” Fallacy: What research says about public exercise interventions, and whether having healthy airport food will actually lead people to order healthy food.
The “2% Loophole”: Why 98% of travelers take the escalator even when they know the stairs are better—and the simple environmental tweak that flips those numbers upside down.
The Holiday Travel Survival Plan: My 8-point, battle-tested approach to survive the upcoming travel chaos without wrecking your health—just in time!
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Let’s roll …