US President Donald Trump is hosting an all-day prayer festival this Sunday at the National Mall in Washington to reflect the country’s Christian values and spark “a movement of renewal” in the United States.
The nine-hour event is part of the administration's efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding. It will be hosted by mostly evangelical Protestant leaders and senior members of the Trump administration.
The massive National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving is considered an unprecedented event in American religious history by scholars.
Amanda Tyler, executive director of BJC, a Baptist Christian group that aims to promote religious liberties through separation of church and state, told the Washington Post, “I’m unaware of anything like this, with this involvement of senior government officials, on this scale, trying to paint this false picture of the United States as a quote-unquote Christian nation.
“Trump’s rhetoric in the past 18 months is how he’s ‘going to make America Christian again,’ that it’s his job to push religion. This is all part of that piece," she added.
“There’s a difference between saying America is a nation with many Christians in it and that America is a nation dedicated to Christianity and defined by it,” Princeton University historian Kevin Kruse told the Washington Post. “Those are very different things.”
In an online seminar last week, Rev. Paula White-Cain, a senior faith advisor to the White House, explained that the event is “really truly rededicating the country to God.”
Another expert, Mark Hall, admitted that he couldn’t recall a Presidential event with the same scope in the modern era, but added that “it’s encouragement, not coercion - there’s no penalty if you don’t go.”
Rabbi Ari Berman of Yeshiva University told the Washington Post that while the government should not single out a specific religion, he believes it is fine for the administration to uplift and celebrate different religious practices.
“I think it’s very important that faith is celebrated as we begin celebrating 250,” Berman said.
In contrast, American Jewish historian Pamela Nadell said that she saw Trump's recent call for American Jews to observe Shabbat in honor of America's 250th birthday as a way to whitewash antisemitism that she believes has been surging in the Republican party.
Americans poll skeptically of Trump's view of religion
Many Americans have expressed skepticism about Trump’s attitudes towards religion. A poll by the Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos found that 87% of US citizens viewed the president’s social media post, which appeared to depict him as Jesus, unfavorably.
“America is basically Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish, and we need to celebrate what we have in common,“ Hall told the Washington Post.
“The problem when you jump to 2026 is we’re very diverse, and the founders designed the country to be one open to individuals of all faiths,” he added.