President Donald Trump announced on February 5 at the annual National Prayer Breakfast that his administration will be rededicating the nation to God in just a few months. The event will take place on May 17 at the National Mall and will include Christian singers, religious leaders, and members of the President’s cabinet.
The event will serve as a celebration of religious liberty and is titled “Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving.” White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley told the Daily Caller that May 17 will serve as a day of worship and will “remind people of the work of God in American life.” He also emphasized the importance of faith to the country.
“So many messages don’t reach people because they are culturally not valued, but we value celebrating and recognizing people of faith, and how people of faith have understood God to be active in the 250-year history of our country,” Haley said.
The official description for the event states that those in attendance will “bear witness to the extraordinary story of how God has powerfully and wondrously shaped the United States of America—remembering the people, sacrifices, and defining moments in which God has powerfully manifested Himself in our history.” The event will serve as a rededication of America as “One Nation under God.”
At the National Prayer Breakfast, where Trump announced the nation’s rededication to God, he explained why religion is so important to the nation’s health and wellbeing.
“I’ve always said you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion,” Trump said. “You have to believe in something. You have to believe that what we’re doing, there’s a reason for it… It’s such a positive thing, and people are starting to see it. They’re going to church. And they’re meeting people, and families are developing.”
Trump’s words echoed those of John Adams, who famously declared in 1798, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Trump also issued a proclamation titled “Year of Celebration and Rededication” on January 29 that further emphasized the importance of religion to the nation. The President explained that the United States is different from other nations in that America’s Founding was rooted in the belief that people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
In this proclamation, Trump highlighted the teachings of the Bible and marked 2026 as a year of prayer for the nation.
“The Bible teaches: ‘In all circumstances give thanks,’” Trump stated. “As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God.”
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
