Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks during a video message at the Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 17, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee
President Donald Trump's "Rededicate 250" event on Sunday was the latest example of how the administration is willingly crossing a bright red line as it takes an ax to a central American value, according to one expert.
Robert Jones, who has been studying and writing about political extremism for more than two decades, argued in a new essay for his Substack, "Redeeming Democracy," that the prayer event was a "deflating" example of how the Trump administration is working to undo the separation between church and state, which is one of America's foundational ideals. He described the event as being packed with "theocratic distortions" designed to blend the extremist religious views of the speakers with the iconography of the U.S. Capitol.
"As someone who has studied religion in the public square for more than two decades, this event marks yet another bright line being crossed by the Trump administration, a further crass instrumentalization of religion for political ends," Jones wrote in the essay. "In the MAGA world, the gentler spirit of a more inclusive civil religion—present in my memories of the public celebrations of the bicentennial in 1976—has been exorcised in favor of the malevolent militancy of Christian nationalism."
"The call for salvation of individuals and the nation, not just through God but through 'our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,' came not just from the likes of Franklin Graham but U.S. government cabinet member Pete Hegseth," he added.
Trump has surrounded himself with people inside the administration who evangelize a view of Christianity that is out of step with how many Americans view religion, according to Jones. For instance, Hegseth has invited preacher Doug Wilson to speak at the Pentagon despite Wilson's archaic views on women and government. Trump's faith advisor, Paula White-Cain, has also compared the president to Jesus himself, which raised alarm bells among many religious observers.
Jones noted that the prayer event signaled where Trump is leading the nation ahead of its 250th anniversary.
"It was deflating to see an official event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation clearly taking aim at one of our most cherished and hard-won achievements, the separation of church and state that ensures a government free of religious establishment and a people free to practice a wide variety of religions or none," Jones wrote.