The Trump administration held a prayer rally on the National Mall this Sunday in a move that some left-wing critics say was a major party foul.
Dubbed Rededicate 250, the national jubilee of prayer was designed to pay tribute to America’s 250th birthday “with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God,” according to the rally’s official website.
250 years. One nation. And an incredible day of prayer, praise, and rededication.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and in spirit. Together, we lifted up this country in prayer and gave thanks for 250 years of God’s faithfulness. pic.twitter.com/Jlhvc6xxRs
— Freedom 250 (@Freedom250) May 18, 2026
The event attracted thousands of worshipers and featured dozens of speakers, including President Donald Trump, top Trump administration officials, and a number of pastors and other faith figures.
But according to The Hill, the event also attracted leftist critics.
“Rededicate 250 is a betrayal of America’s founding values guaranteed in the First Amendment, which made clear that there shall be no establishment of religion by the government, and that each one of us should be free to live out our beliefs in our own way,” Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush of Interfaith Alliance said in a statement.
“This event used the power of the government to elevate one thin slice of American religion above others,” he said. “It was a political rally with a political agenda, rather than an event that truly celebrated the long, rich, and diverse tradition of religious expression in America,” he added.
Raushenbush is a known anti-ICE agitator who thinks Bible verses and religious themes are “white Christian nationalist propaganda.”
.@intrfthalliance President and CEO Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush reacts to an official DHS advertisement that uses bible verses and religious themes:
“It’s a White Christian Nationalist propaganda piece… I would say it’s blasphemous. …This is an administration that has been… pic.twitter.com/HoHzMkdAol
— Washington Journal (@cspanwj) February 5, 2026
Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser, another rabid leftist, similarly called the prayer rally a “jubilee of Christian nationalism.”
“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,” she said in a statement.
“Instead, they continue to threaten this foundational principle by advancing a Christian Nationalist crusade to impose one narrow version of Christianity on all Americans,” she added. “This is a government-sponsored event on public property that combines only Christian faith leaders and government officials; it’s less a ‘Jubilee of Prayer’ than a ‘Jubilee of Christian Nationalism.’”
But despite Raushenbush and Laser’s kvetching, Villanova University professor Michael Moreland stressed that the Trump administration has the constitutional right to hold a prayer rally.
“The people who are maybe anxious about too much of a blending of church and state think that that’s not wise on the part of those people to do that, but that’s more of a prudential political judgment than it is anything to do with constitutional restrictions on their ability to participate in these kinds of events,” he explained.
Rededicate 250 at @NationalMallNPS offered a moment to pause in reflection, express gratitude and offer prayer as we reflect on the founding values of America and renew our commitment to the principles that continue to shape it. pic.twitter.com/3yun2gfu9O
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) May 18, 2026
Speaker Mike Johnson, one of the speakers at the prayer rally, fiercely defended it in a lengthy social media post.
“As we approach the 250th birthday of our great nation, it has never been more important to defend truth on every front, repair our foundations, and hold fast to who we are and what we stand for,” he wrote.
“Anyone who has been misled to believe that religious principles and viewpoints must be separated from public affairs should be reminded to review their history,” Johnson added.
He similarly spoke of American history in his prayer rally speech:
🚨 AMERICA’S LEADERS ARE OPENLY TALKING ABOUT FAITH AGAIN
Speaker Mike Johnson joined a public prayer of rededication in Washington, marking 250 years since America’s founding generation called the nation to dependence on God.
His message:
That America should remain “One… pic.twitter.com/d917MKX5uw
— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) May 18, 2026
“In recent years, we’ve seen sinister ideologies sow confusion and discord among our people,” he said. “We’ve witnessed attacks on our history, on our heroes, and the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation.”
“These voices insist to the young and impressionable that our story, the American story, is one of oppression and hypocrisy and failure and that this story can only be understood through the lens of our sins. Father, we reject that. We rebuke it in your name,” he added.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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