Yesterday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rolled out a plan to pour $1 billion into airports, but what stole the show was a fully public pull-up contest.
Duffy, RFK Jr. Push $1B For “Family Friendly Airports” And Do Pull Ups To Prove It
On December 8, 2025, Kennedy and Duffy stood before microphones touting new grant money aimed at turning airports into more than just terminals. The plan calls for mini gyms, children’s play areas, nursing pods for mothers, family-only security lanes, and dietary overhauls. Per Duffy:
“I want to expand the play areas for kids. I want additional nursing pods for nursing mothers. Maybe I want a workout area where people might get some blood flowing, doing some pull-ups or some step-ups in the airport. But it could be any range of things.”
Then came the pull-up bar. Kennedy, 71 years old, proceeded to crank out 20 pull-ups in a dress shirt and tie. As Kennedy explained:
“This is where healthy diets go to die. The food that is available in the airport, a lot of it tastes very good, but it is not very good for you.”
Duffy tried too and managed 10 reps after shedding his tie and jacket.
Airport Amenities And Publicity Stunts
The grant money is part of the administration’s stated effort to make airports more “family-friendly.” The messaging certainly made for eye-catching headlines and more playground zones for kids, lactation pods for mothers, and workout corners are small but tangible upgrades for travelers who spend long hours waiting or connecting.
It also taps into a deeper frustration many frequent flyers have, including me. Airports often feel like overpriced shopping malls that specialize in junk food. If the plan delivers, maybe our airports will look more like East Asia…and creating a vibrant hub of commerce at an airport is not a bad thing at all.
On the other hand, the primary focus should be on making the airport experience more efficient. That means continuing to upgrade ATC technology and also streamlining security by eliminating the liquid ban, shoe requirement, and the necessity of removing items from bags during screening (I give DHS Secretary Noem credit for already improving this).
That said, it’s amazing to me that this Michelle Obama-like proposal is coming from a GOP administration.
Per Duffy:
“I’m not a big government guy. I’m not fining anyone for wearing their pajamas on the airplane, that’s not what we are doing. I’m just asking people to maybe dress a little better. And I’ve asked airlines to give some better options. It’s all in an airline’s purview in how they are going to respond to this and I think they some ideas of what they are thinking through to improve the experience, but no, this is not about mandates. This is not a requirement. This is a conversation. Can we offer healthier options? Can we support nursing mothers? That’s the conversation we’re having, but I’m not cramming this down anyone’s throat.”
But it sounds very big-government to me…
Even so, I support it…I think the most pressing existential crisis for the United States is our obesity and unhealthy eating…we need to do better as a nation…it is an emergency and helping Americans make better food choices strikes me as a critical function of the federal government, who must later, via Medicare, shoulder so many needless healthcare costs.
And sorry folks, but I just cannot help but to say that if the administration wants to dole out $1 billion in grant money for airports to offer healthier food, maybe we start with properly funding (and regulating) the SNAP program…?
CONCLUSION
Call it theater, call it marketing, the pull-up contest was undeniably absurd. But the issues Duffy and Kennedy identified are real. Overpriced food, cramped terminals, and a lack of basic amenities for families or health-conscious travelers are hardly new. If those grants turn into actual improvements, then maybe this spectacle was worth the spotlight. If you see pull-up bars or healthier food options next time you travel, you might have to thank the airport pull-up contest that started at DCA.
Do either of these clowns know that the country is broke? This is deficit-funded virtue signaling,