Blackburn posts White House backing for prayer event

Sen. Marsha Blackburn posted on X on May 17 that the White House was backing a National Mall prayer event tied to the United States’ 250th anniversary, pointing followers to official administration language about a gathering to “rededicate the United States as One Nation Under God.” The White House had already described that event in a presidential message issued May 6 for the National Day of Prayer. The administration has also folded the prayer push into its broader “Freedom 250” program ahead of July 4, 2026, when the country marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. ### What exactly did Blackburn point to? Marsha Blackburn’s May 17 post said the White House supported the National Mall event and linked that support to the administration’s semiquincentennial planning, according to the post referenced by the card and corroborated by the White House language she cited. The clearest matching White House text appears in President Donald Trump’s May 6 message, which said “thousands of Americans will gather on Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall to rededicate the United States as One Nation Under God.” (whitehouse.gov) The May 6 message did not read like a permit notice or detailed event advisory. It was a presidential statement for the National Day of Prayer, but it explicitly named the May 17 date, the National Mall location and the “One Nation Under God” framing that Blackburn highlighted. ### Where did the White House put this in its own 250th-anniversary agenda? (whitehouse.gov) The White House has created a “Freedom 250” initiative for the July 4, 2026 anniversary and says the celebration will be coordinated through a White House task force established by executive order on January 29, 2025. That order said the administration’s policy was to provide a “grand celebration” for the 250th anniversary of American independence. (whitehouse.gov) A January 29, 2026 proclamation titled “Year of Celebration and Rededication, 2026” placed the anniversary observance on a yearlong footing beginning January 1, 2026. The White House has used that framework to connect religious programming, patriotic events and public messaging under the same anniversary umbrella. (whitehouse.gov) ### How does “America Prays” fit into the event? The White House’s “America Prays” page describes itself as “an invitation to prayer & rededication of the United States as one nation under God” in preparation for the country’s 250th birthday. The page asks whether “one million Americans” might dedicate one hour a week to prayer and invites participants to gather with at least 10 people weekly. (whitehouse.gov) That page also ties the effort to Trump’s earlier remarks in Iowa on July 3, 2025, when he said, “let us rededicate ourselves to one nation under God.” The site lists participating organizations including Salem Media Group, Samaritan’s Purse, National Religious Broadcasters, the Southern Baptist Convention, Pray.com and Hallow. ### Did Trump preview this event before Blackburn’s post? (whitehouse.gov) Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2026 that he would hold a May 17 event on the National Mall “to rededicate America as one nation under God,” according to coverage from EWTN News. The White House’s own May 6 message later used similar language and the same date. (whitehouse.gov) A September 8, 2025 White House release announcing the “America Prays” initiative also said the administration was calling on Americans to unite in prayer as the 250th anniversary approached. That release said more than 70 faith organizations and churches had joined the initiative, citing Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. (ewtnnews.com) ### What comes next in the official timeline? July 4, 2026 is the date the White House says the United States will celebrate 250 years of independence, and the administration’s Freedom 250 page presents that anniversary as the centerpiece of the broader program. The White House has also said a Great American State Fair will culminate with a festival on the National Mall in July 2026 as part of the semiquincentennial observance. (whitehouse.gov 1) (whitehouse.gov 2)