On December 8, 2025, travelers passing through Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, were met with an unusual sight: a press conference featuring not only the nation’s top transportation and health officials, but also a towering pull-up bar and a contest to see who could do the most chin-ups. The event, headlined by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., marked the launch of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new initiative to “Make Travel Family-Friendly Again.” The campaign’s stated goal? To encourage airports across the country to install gym equipment, create more play spaces for children, and expand access to healthier food options for travelers on the go.
The spectacle of two Cabinet officials—one of them a Kennedy, no less—competing in a pull-up contest at an airport terminal was enough to spark fascination and bewilderment across social media and news outlets. According to the Washington Examiner, the event was attended by a mix of influencers, including a self-described “momfluencer” with an eight-month-old child, a fitness influencer, and the CEO of Farmer’s Fridge, a company known for its vending-machine salads. The campaign, as described by DOT, aimed to address a broad range of issues: from dedicated spaces for young children and exercise equipment, to places for mothers to nurse, ways to stay fit while traveling, and healthier food choices in airports.
Yet, as the event unfolded, some observers were left scratching their heads. Was this really the best way to improve the air travel experience for American families? Or was it a case of political theater overshadowing more pressing concerns? That was the question on the mind of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who weighed in just days later during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 11, 2025. Kimmel, never one to shy away from a viral moment, teased Buttigieg about the “jungle gyms in the airport” and the pull-up contest, asking if he was jealous he hadn’t thought of it first. Buttigieg, ever the straight man, responded with a laugh: “I love exercise. I love air travel. Putting them together is not really something I would think to do.”
But Buttigieg’s critique ran deeper than mere amusement. He used the moment to highlight what he sees as a troubling shift in transportation policy under the Trump administration and his successor, Sean Duffy. “Of all the problems you could be trying to solve with the aviation system right now, why are you doing that while dismantling the protections we put in?” Buttigieg asked, pointing to the rollback of key consumer protections for air travelers. He cited specific examples: the loosening of rules that required airlines to compensate passengers for significant flight delays and cancellations, and the September 2025 decision by DOT to delay enforcement of President Joe Biden’s “Wheelchair Rule,” which would have made airlines more accountable for lost or damaged wheelchairs.
“When airlines break a customized chair, it’s as if they broke your legs,” Buttigieg said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, underscoring the human impact of what might otherwise seem like bureaucratic changes. According to LGBTQ Nation, Buttigieg also reminded viewers that during his tenure, he had handed over an air traffic control workforce that was finally growing after decades of decline—a trend he now worries may be reversing.
The contrast between the optics-heavy approach of the current administration and the behind-the-scenes work of keeping America’s aviation system running smoothly was not lost on Buttigieg or his supporters. As The Advocate reported, Buttigieg framed the pull-up contest as a metaphor for a transportation apparatus drifting toward spectacle, while the “guardrails” he put in place are quietly being eroded. He also pointed out that flying remains the safest form of travel—a “marvel of civilization,” as he put it—but warned that such safety and reliability require constant vigilance, investment, and staffing.
For many families, the DOT’s new campaign sounded promising on paper. The event’s focus on making airports more family-friendly—by incentivizing play areas, dedicated TSA lines for families, and healthier food options—addressed issues that have long frustrated parents traveling with young children. During the event, as recounted by the Washington Examiner, some parents expressed that their air travel experiences were already positive, while others welcomed the idea of more kid-friendly spaces. Still, the author of the Examiner piece, himself a father of six, couldn’t help but note the disconnect between the campaign’s stated aims and the real needs of families: “If I had flown with my brood when they were young, I would not have been upset about the lack of salads or gone in search of a lat pulldown machine. I would have wanted a bar overlooking a massive play area for children, ranging from ages 2 to 12, where I could eat wings and drink IPAs.”
Indeed, while the campaign’s five-point list of problems—ranging from the need for more exercise equipment to healthier food—sounded good in theory, some attendees questioned whether these initiatives would truly address the most pressing challenges of family air travel. The spectacle of the pull-up contest, which saw Duffy, Kennedy, a fitness influencer, and one of Duffy’s daughters competing, drew both praise for its lightheartedness and criticism for missing the mark. One reporter at the event asked Duffy if he thought it was wise to encourage people to get sweaty before boarding a packed flight, a question Duffy brushed off as Kennedy wiped sweat from his brow.
Behind the scenes, the initiative did not represent a new mandate or influx of federal funding. Instead, as clarified by Duffy, the campaign was about allowing airports to use existing federal funds for family-friendly infrastructure—such as play areas and dedicated family security lines—should they choose to do so. The hope, he said, was that airports would seize the opportunity to create “awesome, sprawling, bar-adjacent playgrounds” for traveling families.
But as the event and its aftermath made clear, the debate over how best to improve the American air travel experience is far from settled. For some, the DOT’s family-friendly campaign is a welcome step toward making airports less stressful for parents and kids alike. For others, including Buttigieg and his supporters, the initiative is a distraction from more urgent issues—like passenger rights, disability protections, and the need for more air traffic controllers—that require serious, sustained attention.
As millions of Americans prepare to take to the skies for the holidays, the question remains: Will pull-up bars and jungle gyms in airport terminals make a meaningful difference for families on the move, or are they just another example of style over substance in Washington? Only time—and perhaps the next viral airport spectacle—will tell.
