{"id":1462,"date":"2026-05-17T23:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T23:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1462"},"modified":"2026-05-17T23:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T23:39:55","slug":"trump-and-administration-officials-address-christian-gathering-on-national-mall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/?p=1462","title":{"rendered":"Trump and administration officials address Christian gathering on National Mall"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Trump and administration officials address Christian gathering on National Mall<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

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\n A person worships to Christian music at Rededicate 250, a mostly conservative Christian prayer gathering in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary, on the National Mall on Sunday.
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\n Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP
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Crowds of people gathered on the National Mall on Sunday for a conservative prayer gathering<\/a> as part of a commemoration of America’s 250 birthday, which included praise and worship songs, prayers by religious leaders and speeches by members of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

The event was promoted as a gathering to “give thanks for God’s providence, reflect on our nation’s story, and rededicate America as One Nation under God.” It was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private group working with the White House to organize the celebration of America’s 250 birthday this summer.<\/p>\n

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The Sunday Story <\/a><\/h3>\n

‘The Bible is not a policy manual’: Christians reckon with immigration under Trump<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Of the 19 faith leaders that were scheduled to speak, 18 are Christian<\/a>, and most are evangelical. White House faith office senior adviser Paula White-Cain, the Rev. Franklin Graham and Bishop Robert Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, were among the leaders. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, who leads Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City and serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, is the only non-Christian religious leader who spoke at the gathering.<\/p>\n

President Trump, who was golfing on Sunday afternoon, did not attend the event. Trump delivered a video message reading the Biblical scripture 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, which details God’s response to King Solomon after he completed the temple in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

Trump administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke in video messages.<\/p>\n

Congressional lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also spoke at the gathering. House Speaker Mike Johnson led the crowd through a prayer, asking God for courage and favor to “preserve this republic” and saying “our rights do not derive from the government, they come from You, our Creator and heavenly Father.”<\/p>\n

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Comparing Trump to biblical kings troubles some people of faith<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Chris Tomlin, a Grammy-winning Christian musician, performed at the event.<\/p>\n

The event has been criticized as promoting Christian nationalism and obscuring the lines separating church and state. Interfaith Alliance, a national coalition of various faiths, on Thursday night projected messages supporting religious freedom onto the National Gallery of Art.<\/p>\n

“Trump’s ‘Rededicate 250’ rally on the National Mall is an attempt to turn the United States into an authoritarian theocracy,” the group wrote in a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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‘If You Can Keep It’: The Separation Of Church And State<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said it is “less a ‘Jubilee of Prayer’ than a ‘Jubilee of Christian Nationalism.'”<\/p>\n

“If President Trump and his allies truly cared about America’s legacy of religious freedom, they would be celebrating church-state separation as the unique American invention that has allowed religious diversity to flourish in our country,” Laser said in a statement<\/a>. “Instead, they continue to threaten this foundational principle by advancing a Christian Nationalist crusade to impose one narrow version of Christianity on all Americans.”<\/p>\n

Kathryn Post and Yonat Shimron contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a financial supporter of NPR.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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