Rededicate 250 prayer rally draws thousands to National Mall
Attendees pray and celebrate during "Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving" on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher / AFP via Getty Images)
A daylong prayer rally drew thousands of people to the National Mall on Sunday where they heard speeches from prominent religious and political figures.
Big picture view:
With the Washington Monument in the background, the stage was designed to look like a federal building with arched stained-glass windows showing the Founding Fathers alongside a white cross. Organizers billed the event as a "rededication of our country as One Nation under God."
The backstory:
The church-like stage and the worship music played during the event, dubbed Rededicate 250, helped showcase its heavy Christian focus. The lineup of speakers, too, celebrated the ties between Christianity and American history. Some went on to declare that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation, an idea that is disputed by many historians.
Trump reads recorded Bible passage
A video showing President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and reading a passage from the Bible was shown during the rally. It was the same footage that was played during a Bible-reading marathon last month.
The president read from 2 Chronicles, saying, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Dig deeper:
The event was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by the White House. Many of the speakers, including Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and evangelist Franklin Graham, were longtime evangelical supporters of the president.
Democrats have criticized the nonprofit as a Trump-controlled organization created as a way to avoid a commission chartered by Congress to prepare events for the 250th anniversary celebration.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.