President Trump’s prayer vigil turns National Mall into worship event
Thousands of Christians gathered on the National Mall to participate in Rededicate 250, a prayer rally organized at President Trump’s request.
The unofficial opening of the American semi-quincentennial celebration on the National Mall began with a sunrise prayer.
This was followed by a day of hallelujahs, amens, and testimonies by Christian musicians and a military band.
The Rededicate 250 event featured a video greeting from President Donald Trump, as well as other in-person and recorded speeches from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson. The government’s most powerful leaders were ready to focus on the centrality of the country’s Christian roots since its founding (a claim of some controversy and debate) and the need to rededicate the country to those values.
Organizers Freedom 250 declared, “This is a historic gathering to give thanks for God’s providence, reflect on our nation’s history, and rededicate America as one nation under God.”
This year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence highlighted the history and resilience of the world’s oldest constitutional democracy. But they also spotlight today’s disagreements over big issues like the proper role of religion in politics and the appropriate color of the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool.
The festival, dominated by Christian voices, delighted thousands of participants who pushed strollers and bundled blankets spread out on the lawn on a balmy Sunday. But for some other Americans, the bill failed to reflect the country’s religious diversity, and many historians said it misrepresented the role of Christianity in the founding of the republic.
“This outrageous event makes a mockery of the separation of church and state, a constitutional tenet at the core of American life, and promotes a particularly white evangelical Protestant coloration as essentially a state-sponsored religion,” said Robert Wiseman, co-director of Public Citizen. Left-wing watchdog groups called the festival “a program for the Trump church.”
Clogged leak, type of liquid
The waterless reflecting pool was located about a half-mile up the mall. For now, workers are draining the water, repairing the leak and painting the basin a color Trump dubbed “Stars and Stripes Blue.”
The project has also been the subject of some controversy and debate.
A nonprofit group called the Cultural Landscape Foundation sued the Interior Department to stop the painting, arguing that changing the color of the pool, which is a “significant defining feature of this site” under federal law, requires a historic overhaul. The previous gray, neutral hues created the illusion of greater depth and encouraged deeper contemplation, the researchers said.
Meanwhile, renovation costs are reportedly soaring, and the original May 22 deadline to complete the work no longer appears realistic. President Trump has promised to complete construction by July 4, when the Mall will host the nation’s iconic fireworks display.
“God chose America for a reason.”
The day-long festival, dubbed the “National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving,” was organized by a public-private partnership called Freedom 250 and funded in part by federal funds.
Although the area is fenced and visitors had to pass through a magnetometer to gain access, the atmosphere in the morning was relaxed and festive.
Why did the participants go to the event? “I was led by the Lord,” said Sandy Brown, 63, of Raceland, Kentucky, who was driving to Washington with church friend Tom Huffman, 78.
“God has blessed this country and continues to do so,” said Huffman, a former police chief. “There’s a reason he chose America, and there’s a reason he chose Trump.”
Trump may only appear on videotape, but he had a profound presence. A baseball cap sold near the entrance said, “Jesus is my savior/Trump is my president.”
One demonstrator wearing a sparkly silver jacket marched down the middle of the street with a bullhorn, chanting “Jail Trump!”
People lined up at the mall for blocks and tried to drown her out, chanting “Praise God!”
The event sparked controversy because it featured almost all Christian voices, many of them white and evangelical. There was a thread of Christian nationalism, the belief that America has been and should be defined by Christianity.
Many American scholars dispute this, arguing that the nation’s founders were wary of state religion and made separation of church and state part of the First Amendment. They point out that Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence, believed in God but did not accept Christian theology.
The 15 speakers listed on the program included 14 Christians and one Orthodox Jew, Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik. Two of the scheduled speakers were Catholics and seven were evangelical leaders, including Franklin Graham, son of famous preacher Billy Graham.
A 2024 study by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that while nearly two-thirds of American adults identify as Christian these days, nearly one in three do not belong to any religion. A total of 7% were members of other religions, including Jews and Muslims.
About one in four Americans, or 23%, were white evangelical Protestants. They make up one of the most loyal parts of Trump’s political base. In his three presidential elections, about 8 out of 10 people voted for him.
Does it celebrate a nation or a president?
The 500th anniversary poses a quandary for critics who accuse President Trump of undermining the guardrails of democracy. How can we celebrate our country if we don’t want to embrace our president?
A few blocks away from Sunday’s meeting, a Christian group called Faithful America floated a 15-foot-tall balloon depicting a blond-haired cow wearing a blue suit and red tie. The progressive group, which opposes Christian nationalism, described the balloon as a “golden calf with a face like Trump.”
Undaunted, Trump put himself at the center of the nation’s celebration.
“America’s Golden Age has arrived…just in time for one of the greatest events in our nation’s history,” he declared at a Fourth of July celebration in Iowa last year. “We’re celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a birthday party like you’ve never seen before.”
Cue the fireworks: A colorful explosion over the Washington Monument — the largest fireworks in history, the president says — will continue in six weeks.
