GOP Rededicates America as One Nation Under God as The Left Attempts to ‘Erase History’ 

Virginia Grace McKinnon

•   May 18, 2026

As the nation prepares to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this July 4, Republican leaders in Congress joined a rededication service on the National Mall on Sunday to redeclare the country as “one nation under God.”

While the Mall was full of prayer and worship, some online criticized the event, calling it Christian nationalism and a narrative pushed by the Trump administration.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson quickly responded to critics, calling it “wildly inappropriate.”

He explained this is “a recognition of the deeply embedded history and religious and moral tradition of the country,” on Fox News. “The people who are upset about it, oppose that. They want to erase the history of America and pretend as if we’re not a nation that was dedicated originally to God,” Johnson continued.

“People who are the naysayers and who have created this new term of Christian nationalism as a pejorative, a derogatory term, are trying to silence the influence and the voices of Christians,” Johnson said.

The Freedom 250 Rededication drew roughly 15,000 attendees from across the nation. Johnson was joined by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Dr. Ben Carson, and other GOP leaders and Christian believers who all took the stage to pray over America.

“We remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning, since Christopher Columbus set sail in the New World,” Johnson said, leading the crowd in prayer. “When our forefathers took up the great cause of American independence, they turned to you in steadfast prayer.”

“Today, here, Lord, in this 250th year of American independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as one nation under God. Look upon us with favor upon your country as we celebrate this momentous anniversary,” he continued.

Scott joined the stage, declaring he is “living proof that the power of prayer changes lives.”

“There is no way to grasp the last 250 years of America without looking to the power of prayer. From the Civil War to World War II to the landing on the moon, Americans have looked to God for guidance, for peace, and for strength,” Scott continued.

“It’s this commitment to prayer that powered the civil rights movement. The journey for justice for all was rooted in the Black church, a body of believers who refused to let go of God,” Scott said.

The senator went on to remind attendees that historic Black figures in the civil rights movement heavily relied on prayer, including Rosa Parks, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Frederick Douglass.

“The heroes of the civil rights movement sang before they marched, they prayed before they protested, and they sought answers in the gospel before they sought answers before the law,” Scott said.

“Dr. King did not lead from merely a podium, he led from the pulpit. His dream was not a political speech, it was a sermon,” he continued.

“Echoing the words of Frederick Douglass in 1852, in the face of slavery, here’s what he said: The principles contained in the Declaration of Independence are saving principles,” Scott declared.

“Our rights don’t come from the government,” he reminded. “No, our rights come from God, the King of Kings.”

Virginia Grace McKinnon
Virginia Grace McKinnon | Journalism Fellow
Virginia Grace McKinnon is a journalism fellow for the Daily Signal.

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