Thousands gathered on Washington’s National Mall for “Rededicate 250,” a daylong prayer event tied to the 250th anniversary of US independence. President Donald Trump read Scripture on a screen from the Oval Office, while Republicans including JD Vance, Pete H
Thousands streamed onto the National Mall on Sunday for a daylong prayer rally billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God,” with worship music blaring from a stage set against the Washington Monument.
The event leaned overtly Christian, with arched stained-glass windows placed under grand columns resembling a federal building and depicting the nation’s founders alongside a white cross. In a video message shown at “Rededicate 250,” President Donald Trump read from Scripture as the crowd watched.
The verses from 2 Chronicles have long been cited by believers who argue America was founded as a Christian nation.. “If my people. which are called by my name. shall humble themselves. and pray. and seek my face. and turn from their wicked ways. ” Trump read. “then will I hear from heaven. and will forgive their sin. and will heal their land.”
Trump’s video was filmed in the Oval Office and used the same footage from a marathon Bible-reading event last month.. Other major Republican figures were also scheduled as the celebration marked this year’s 250 years of US independence. including Vice President JD Vance. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson. R-La.
For many attendees, the message felt personal and urgent.. Denny Smith. 72. of Rhode Island. who rented a motorised scooter to move along the National Mall. said: “It’s all about Jesus.” Retha Bond. 58. from southern Illinois. said she heard Trump speak not far away on January 6. 2021.. She told the crowd she did not join the rioters who later attacked the Capitol. but said she has remained a steady Trump supporter.. “I’m not saying Trump is the saviour,” Bond said.. She added that “this is one of the most important things that could be going on in the world. for us to rededicate our nation back to God”.
The programme included several names closely tied to Trump’s long-running evangelical network. such as Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and evangelist Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse.. But critics had already flagged the event in the days leading up to the gathering. arguing it blends Christianity with politics in a way that aligns with Christian nationalism.
Rev.. Adam Russell Taylor. a Baptist minister who leads the progressive Christian organisation Sojourners. said: “We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom.”
Some speakers questioned that framing by pointing to the religious diversity of the country’s early history.. Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner. director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. noted early America included Jews. Muslims and Indigenous people. saying: “I want to shine a light on America’s history as a nation that welcomes. celebrates and protects people of all faiths and those of no faith.”
Hegseth, who has brought Christian language and worship into his role leading the Pentagon, asked the gathering in a video to pray to “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” He also referenced George Washington’s faith, saying: “Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee.”
The programme’s list of religious leaders featured only one non-Christian figure, Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. To applause, Soloveichik told the crowd, “Antisemitism is utterly un-American” — a comment appearing to respond to debates splitting parts of the right.
Soloveichik served on the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission along with White-Cain. Graham and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron. Catholic clerics also included on the programme.. Another Catholic-themed presence also surfaced through the event’s broader line-up. including worship and patriotic displays; Kathy Fain. from Longview. Texas. held a US flag while singing the national anthem.
The event was organised by Freedom 250, described as a public-private partnership backed by the White House.. Congressional Democrats have questioned the nonprofit’s structure and finances. saying they see it as a Trump-controlled end run around a separate commission charted by Congress a decade ago to prepare semiquincentennial events.
Organisers faced further resistance from progressive groups that staged counterprogramming around the capital.. Freedom From Religion Foundation. which advocates a strict separation of church and state. and the Christian organisation Faithful America displayed a large balloon near the mall of a Trump-like golden calf. in a biblical reference to idolatry.. Last Thursday. the Interfaith Alliance projected protest slogans onto an exterior wall of the National Gallery of Art. including “Democracy not theocracy” and “The separation of church and state is good for both.”
Many participants described the gathering as an act of spiritual belonging.. Alessandra Seawright. 15. of Santa Fe. New Mexico. came to Rededicate 250 with her mother after seeing the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. whose activism was mentioned from the stage.. Seawright said she came away feeling less alone in her conservative Christian beliefs. adding: “I think we just need more of this in our country. and we just need to share the word of the Lord. ” and “We love going to events like this.” She said she and her mother also attended Kirk’s memorial service. which mixed Christian worship and political messages.
The sequence of the day reflected the event’s tight blend of national symbolism and Christian messaging: Trump’s Oval Office Bible reading from 2 Chronicles was paired with Christian figures and religious liberty appointments. while speakers such as Hegseth and Soloveichik used prayer and moral language that were echoed by the crowd’s pro-Trump display of hats. patriotic colours and worship.
For all the ceremony. the organiser’s backing and the political spotlight remained central to how the event landed in the public square. with Democrats questioning Freedom 250’s structure and finances as counterprogramming pressed the separation-of-church-and-state argument just outside the main stage.
Rededicate 250 National Mall President Donald Trump JD Vance Pete Hegseth Marco Rubio Mike Johnson freedom 250 religious freedom Christian nationalism Sojourners Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism