Thousands gather on National Mall for ‘Rededicate 250’ prayer rally ahead of America’s 250th anniversary

Thousands of Americans gathered on the National Mall on May 17 for a daylong prayer rally held to rededicate the nation as “one nation under God” ahead of America’s semiquincentennial anniversary on July 4.

>> National Mall to host ‘Rededicate 250’ prayer event marking America’s 250th anniversary <<

The event, called “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving,” was organized by Freedom 250 and featured Christian music, Scripture readings, testimonies, prayers, and speeches focused on the nation’s religious heritage. Organizers drew parallels to a May 17, 1776, call by the Second Continental Congress for a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, issued weeks before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The rally featured video messages and remarks from President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other administration officials, along with faith leaders.

Trump, who did not attend the event in person, wished attendees well in a May 17 social media post and said that “FOX & Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy should call him if there was anything he could do. Campos-Duffy attended the event with her husband, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. 

“I HOPE EVERYBODY AT REDEDICATE 250 IS HAVING A GOOD TIME,” Trump said. “IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP, JUST HAVE OUR BEAUTIFUL, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT, RACHAEL C.D., GIVE ME A CALL. I’M BACK FROM CHINA!!!”

Trump, Vance, other administration officials address rally

In a video message aired during the rally, Trump read 2 Chronicles 7:12-22, in footage AP News reported was previously shown during a marathon Bible-reading event in March.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways,” Trump read, “then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Vance, a Catholic, said in a broadcast video message that the duty “to honor, obey, and give thanks to our Creator was woven into America’s character long before the founding.” 

“We have always been and still are a nation of prayer. And thank God for that,” he said. “In times of suffering and in times of triumph, millions of Americans continue to turn to prayer and their faith in God.”

Vance also pointed to what he described as a return to faith among young people, saying many are searching for “meaning” and “closeness with God.”

“That should give all of us hope for our future together as Americans,” Vance said. "It certainly gives me hope, as your vice president, because prayer is not merely something we do in times of crisis."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delivered a prayer of “rededication,” saying, “Heavenly Father, we thank you. Thank you so much for this great day that you've given us here, and we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning.”

Johnson recalled the Second Continental Congress’ day of fasting and prayer and praised the founders’ recognition of rights endowed by the Creator. 

In a prerecorded message, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard urged Americans to approach God with humility, noting that the founders “didn’t stride forward in pride” but instead “knelt” and “asked for God’s mercy” weeks before declaring independence.

“They asked for his guidance because they knew that the cause before them was beyond their own strength,” Gabbard said. “Now, today, exactly 250 years later, we gather here on the National Mall to do the same, to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness, and to humbly ask once more for God's mercy and guidance as we enter the next 250 years of this Republic.”

She added that leaders too often view themselves as ultimate controllers.

“We lose sight of the fact that we are tiny, and our time on this planet is extremely short, and yet we see ourselves as the controllers competing with each other over who is number one,” she said. “But the truth is, there's only one number one, and that's God.”

Catholics leaders address crowd 

Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for portraying Jesus in “The Chosen,” stressed that prayer lies at the “center of faith.”

“Prayer is a kind of heavenly cargo shuttle, lifting our wants, our needs, and our gratitude toward Heaven, open to anybody and everybody, willing to humble themselves at the feet of their Creator, faithful and fallen alike,” he said.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, stressed that human rights come from God and cannot be granted by the government.

“What the founders knew from their Christian formation is that all people, despite their enormous inequalities, are equally children of God and therefore equal in dignity,” he said. “Take God out of the equation and equality quickly disappears.”

In a prerecorded message, New York Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Timothy Dolan pointed to the principles of prayer, trust, worship, loyalty to family, subsidiarity, devotion to the common good, and religious freedom as defining American life from the very beginning.

“Our deepest values as a country have always been rooted in our identity as a people of God and anchored in the reality that we’re not only American citizens — you bet we are, and grateful for it,” he said, “but that we are bound someday to be citizens of heaven.”

Other speakers included War Secretary Pete Hegseth, author and radio host Eric Metaxas, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, evangelist Franklin Graham, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and White House Faith Office Senior Adviser Paula White.