The Christian right hijacks America's 250th

[marmar]

The Christian right hijacks America’s 250th
Trump's Rededicate 250 event erases the U.S.'s secular history

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published May 15, 2026 6:45AM (EDT)


(Salon) After Donald Trump blasphemed the Christian faith by posting what any fool could see was an artificial intelligence-generated illustration of himself as Jesus Christ, many members of the Beltway chattering class hoped the religious right would finally quit the president. The answer, of course, was a robust “heck no,” and this weekend, the White House is offering a reminder why.

Trump is devoted to a blasphemy that is far more important to them: rewriting history to push the false claim that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

On Sunday, May 17, the White House will kick off the celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary with an alarming event: Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving, an all-day prayer festival featuring administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson.

....(snip)....

The scary thing is that, on its surface, Sunday’s event will likely read as innocuous when compared to the myriad of other travesties committed daily by the Trump administration against our nation’s laws and traditions. Based on Rededicate 250’s marketing, most of the program looks likely to avoid overtly political rhetoric in favor of generic prayers calling on God to bless the country. The event’s organizers have even included a smattering of token Catholics and one rabbi as speakers. The whole thing feels designed to seem inoffensive — and to preemptively paint any progressives arguing that the Constitution clearly forbids government establishment of religion as hysterical. .....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/05/15/the-christian-right-hijacks-americas-250th/