President Donald Trump's free, day-long event to "rededicate" America to God drew a notably sparse crowd at the National Mall on Sunday — with a recycled video message from the president himself airing to rows of empty seats, the Daily Beast reported.
The eight-hour Rededicate 250 gathering, billed as a "National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving," was organized by the White House-backed Freedom 250 group. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared in person, while Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pre-recorded messages.
Trump himself skipped the event to golf in Virginia, the Daily Beast noted. He posted in all caps on Truth Social: "I HOPE EVERYBODY AT REDEDICATE 250 IS HAVING A GOOD TIME."
According to the Daily Beast, the three-minute video Trump aired Sunday was the same footage he recorded in April for a separate event called America Reads the Bible. Reuters photos captured dozens of empty seats during the screening.
The National Mall can hold more than one million visitors, the Daily Beast reported, while the Rededicate 250 site had advertised only "several thousand attendees."
Despite the visibly empty rows, Trump allies declared the event a triumph. Teen influencer Bo Loudon claimed D.C. was "filled to the brim with patriots honoring God," while Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka boasted of a "huge crowd."