US President Holds 9-Hour Prayer Event for 250th Anniversary

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump organized a 9-hour prayer event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.

The event, held on Sunday, was called 'Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving' and ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time (13:00 to 22:00 GMT).

On the event's website, organizers explained their goal was to mark 'the rededication of our country as a Nation under God.'

The event featured performers, pastors, and civil rights leaders, as well as Republican allies of Trump, including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. 'Our rights do not come from government,' Scott told the crowd. 'No, our rights come from God, the king of kings.'

Members of the Trump administration, including the president, also recorded video messages that were played from the stage. Trump's video showed him sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the White House, reading a passage from the Book of Chronicles about God's promise to protect those who follow Him and destroy those who forsake Him.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his video, described the United States as a country uniquely shaped by 'Christian ideas.' 'Before Christian West, most societies — and civilizations — thought in terms of stagnant cycles: the flooding of the Nile, the return of the rains, the cycle of seasons. History for them was a wheel going nowhere,' Rubio said. 'But our faith calls us to step out into the endless darkness of the unknown. It tells us to go and preach the gospel to the world as a testimony to every nation and the ends of the earth.'

The event did not escape controversy. Critics noted that only one speaker, a Jewish rabbi, was non-Christian. Some religious leaders even dismissed the event as a political stunt rather than a genuine expression of faith.

Paul Raushenbush, a pastor and president of the Interfaith Alliance, posted on social media that his opposition did not stem from 'anti-religious sentiment.' Instead, faith made him value 'the rich mosaic of beliefs' that converge in the United States. 'Rededicate 250 is a betrayal of the founding values of America enshrined in the First Amendment — which clearly stated there would be no establishment of religion by the government and that each of us should be free to live according to our own beliefs in our own way,' Raushenbush wrote.

Traditionally, the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution has been understood as prohibiting the government from establishing or imposing religious beliefs on citizens. But critics argue the Trump administration has blurred the separation between church and state, including by holding regular prayer sessions at the Department of Defense.

Trump has accused the federal government of 'anti-Christian bias.' He established a task force last year to find alleged discrimination.

Evangelical Christians are a pillar of Trump's right-wing base. This demographic is a powerful force during election seasons in the United States, and Trump has sought to rally Christian voters ahead of key ballots. Their views could reshape how the U.S. Constitution is interpreted.

A Pew Research Center survey released last week found a slight increase in the share of U.S. adults who believe Christianity should be the official state religion. 17% now share that view, up from 13% in 2024. However, Pew researchers noted that a majority of Americans, about 54%, still support the separation of church and state. About 52% also said 'conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to push their religious values into government and public schools.'