President Trump Honors Phil Heath – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog

by Christian Duque

We often talk about “growing the sport of bodybuilding.” It has become almost lip service because we don’t really know what that means. How can you grow something without having any metrics to really make the case? The answer is you really can’t. You look at a variety of factors and you hope that in the long run more adherents are coming to the gym, more people are taking an interest in physique-based sports, more people are buying tickets to expos and that sort of thing. The reality of the matter is that the sport grows but we really can’t put our finger on it because we don’t have any way of measuring how much it’s growing and at what kind of pace.

There have been things over the years that have been very helpful to the overall perception that the mainstream public has about bodybuilding and strength-based sports. For example, when Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor of California or when Lee Haney was appointed to the president’s Council on Exercise and Fitness, that helped. These were two milestone achievements. When Lou Ferrigno landed a role that got him on network television in millions of households with The Incredible Hulk, that was also a big plus for the sport. And having president Donald J Trump honoring men and women who have excelled in academics, the arts, and various different sports for a black history celebration at The White House, that is also noteworthy. It is noteworthy as well because the president mentioned Phil Heath, one of the greatest bodybuilders of the last 20 or 30 years. He is a seven-time Mr Olympia, who won these titles consecutively and could potentially win another one in the future. Phil has transcended bodybuilding at this point by becoming a household name. Very, very few people are invited to such an event and even fewer people are mentioned by the President.

When I saw the news on Dan Solomon’s Instagram and then shortly thereafter saw it on RX Muscle, it literally sent a shiver up my spine. I must say that President Trump did not mention Phil’s name in passing. In other words he didn’t mention it in a list of other people. He didn’t gloss over it. He mentioned Phil’s name, he looked at Phil, he made some references to his physique and even gave a little bit of a buildup before he announced his name. It was a first class production.

Donald Trump is an individual who knows how to keep an audience interested. He’s an excellent public speaker and a lot of people feel a connection to him because he seems to speak from the heart. It’s one of the reasons why I think he won his first term and why I think he does so well in debates and rallies. It’s because you get a sense that he will say whatever is on his mind. Sometimes he crosses the line – other times he doesn’t – but he always is viewed as telling the truth. You may not like what the truth is but he will tell it. And the reality of the matter is he truly respects Phil and respects bodybuilding. And part of this I attribute to Robert F Kennedy Jr.

The reality is we have one of ours in Trump’s cabinet. Even though Bobby Kennedy has not competed in a bodybuilding show, anybody that takes a look at him and his physique knows that this is somebody who loves working out, understands the value of sensible eating, and more than likely understands the value of food-based supplements. Anybody who at his age that can do strict form pull-ups is onto something. And I’m almost positive that Bobby’s influence over the Trump White House led to Phil being included in this star-studded event, but maybe not. Maybe Donald Trump is also a fan of bodybuilding. Why not?

This is one of those times where we as writers and you as fans and bodybuilders as competitors can pat ourselves on the back. This is an example of truly growing the sport of bodybuilding. When Phil Heath, one of our greatest champions, is held in the same regard as the late great Kobe Bryant or golfing sensation Tiger Woods, then you know that bodybuilding has truly surpassed being more than a sport of oily guys in speedos posing on stage for mostly old men. All of the stupid jokes and all of the silly generalizations that get made all go in the waste basket at that point. When the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, is showing you love, then you know that you have achieved greatness as an athlete and as an influencer.

And that’s just it folks, let’s not talk about influencers with regards to social media followings or how many likes or comments they get. If you ask me, an influencer is someone that has the respect of people that are very important. Especially people that would be considered to be far higher up the ladder, far higher on the food chain. When the President of the United States of America – after barely one month in office – is giving you kudos in The White House that is certainly something to hold in the highest of regards. And I’m very happy that the bodybuilding media took the initiative to post this as news. Because this is the kind of news that all fans of bodybuilding need to be acquainted with. It’s one of the rare instances where our sport shines bright for all to see.

And that is why I have also decided to pen this article, immediately. As many of you know, that is not my style. I usually like to sit back and let the other outlets write about a breaking news story, first. Iron Magazine, as far as I’m concerned, is not a publication that wants to break stories. I would much rather write a full account with all of the details and without baseless speculation as others do, simply because we don’t have to be the first. We are only interested in being the best. But with a story like this, I feel the need to get our article out amongst the first. Because like I said, it’s one of the rare instances where our sport really shines.

I don’t want to turn this into politics. I don’t want to talk about my politics or your politics, but I will say that I would not expect such a genuine praise for bodybuilding out of Mr Trump’s recent predecessor or really any of his predecessors in the past. It’s not a knock on Joe Biden, it’s a knock on pretty much every president before President Trump. Reagan and Bush put Schwarzenegger and Haney on the exercise council. And that’s a pretty big deal on some level, but it’s not what Phil Heath got at The Oval Office during this star-studded gala. Being appointed to run an honorary committee on exercise is definitely a plus but it’s not the same as this. President Trump spoke directly to Phil in front of the entire world. Everybody saw that. And everybody saw that at just 10 days out from the 2025 Arnold Classic. This is huge for bodybuilding. Something like this needs to be marketed to the ends of the Earth and I suspect that’s exactly what is going to happen. This is not an everyday occurrence. This doesn’t even happen every 10 years. This may not have ever happened before. This is huge news for bodybuilding and strength-based sports!!

In summation, I would just like to send a huge shoutout to Phil Heath. I know Phil has me blocked. He has had me blocked for years, but I don’t care about that right now. I hope that enough people will copy and share links to this article all throughout social media. a
And I, for one, have said that Phil made a huge transformation in 2020. The Phil Heath of today is not that Phil Heath personality-wise that was winning Olympia after Olympia. But that none withstanding, it’s that Phil Heath who dominated bodybuilding that caught the attention of the President of the United states. For all that’s been said and done, Phil has truly helped grow bodybuilding. I don’t think there’s a question about it in anyone’s mind at this point.

What are your thoughts on this monumental achievement? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments.