So much for Separation of Church and State: Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Mike Johnson will speak at the event, which centers on the idea that the founders wanted the U.S. to be explicitly Christian.
Evangelical Protestant leaders will invade the National Mall on Sunday to attend the Trump (mis)administration’s, “Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” an all-day prayer festival (Fundie Freak Fest) on the National Mall. Organizers of the event will pay for it using millions of dollars in public dollars earmarked for the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. Those attending the event, including members of the Trump (mis)administration, have embraced the message that America’s founders wanted the country to be explicitly Christian.
Christianity, the Bible, and the word, God, are not mentioned even once in our Constitution. In fact, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and previous Court decisions prohibit the government from “establishing” a religion. But, that has not stopped the Trump (mis)administration from promoting and supporting Christian Nationalism, a twisted view of Christianity.
Top Republican officials promote event
Organizers expect thousands of people to attend Rededicate 250, which will include worship music, prayers and speeches from Cabinet heads and other Republican officials, along with religious leaders and others. Trump and several other speakers are addressing the crowd by video, while others will speak in person. The scheduled participants include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“Our founders knew two simple truths,” Hegseth said in a promotional video for the event featuring a montage of Cabinet secretaries.
“Our rights don’t come from government, they come from God. And a nation is only as strong as its faith,” added Hegseth, whose use of Christian rhetoric to justify the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran and in other official settings has drawn scrutiny.
Fact Check: False.
The non-Protestant religious leaders scheduled to speak on Sunday include two Catholic bishops — retired New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota — and Orthodox Rabbi Meir Soloveichik of New York City, all three of whom serve on Trump’s religious liberty commission.
