United States President Donald Trump has announced new guidance for the Department of Education to protect prayer in public schools while unveiling an ‘America Prays’ initiative.
Trump declared that the ‘America Prays’ initiative is a nationwide call for collective spiritual reflection ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
He made this known during his address at a high-profile meeting of the White House Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible on Monday, September 8, 2025.
During his speech, Trump emphasized the foundational role of faith in American society, saying that “America was founded on faith.”
The U.S. president also gave examples of personal stories of students facing restrictions for expressing their beliefs, such as a 12-year-old California boy forced to read materials conflicting with his religious views and a Texas high schooler punished for leading a prayer for an injured classmate.
He said his administration would “protect the Judeo-Christian values of our founding.”
Trump continued: “To have a great nation, you have to have religion – I believe that so strongly. There has to be something after we go through all of this, and that something is God.
“When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker. When faith gets stronger… good things happen for our country. It’s amazing the way it seems to work that way. Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God. We are One Nation Under God — and we always will be.
“Next year, we will celebrate 250 years since that Declaration was signed. As part of the grand commemoration… we’ve invited America’s great faith communities to pray for our nation, for our people, and for peace in the world.
“Honestly they’re making changes, you know. They were also told what to do by people who came before me, in all fairness, but they’re making changes. Big changes are being made at the Smithsonian.”
In a White House Press release issued after the President’s speech, it was gathered that the Trump administration is inviting Americans to dedicate one hour each week to prayer, ideally in community groups of at least 10 people, focusing on the nation’s strength, peace, and prosperity.
The statement reads in part: In a powerful address at the Museum of the Bible, President Donald J. Trump emphasized the enduring role of faith in America’s identity, highlighted his Administration’s unwavering defense of faith-based values, and reaffirmed his commitment to protecting our religious freedoms.
“The President also launched the America Prays initiative — a call for Americans to unite in prayer for the nation’s strength, peace, and prosperity as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches.”
Reacting to the ‘America Prays’ initiative, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, praised the development as a timely renewal of patriotic and spiritual values.
Turner said: “You have a President and America First administration that believes in the power of prayer.
“We will continue to pray for our nation and ask for God’s guidance to lead us to a prosperous future.”
Also, Brooke Rollins, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, praised the ‘America Prays’ initiative, saying: “America is rooted in centuries of Judeo-Christian heritage, and in fact could not exist without it.
“President Trump is upholding one of our nation’s most powerful foundations: we are one nation under God.
“As we approach 250 years of freedom, ‘America Prays’ reminds us that our strength has always come from faith.
“America is stronger with the power of prayer!!”
However, Chris Line, legal counsel for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, in his reaction claimed that Trump’s statements represented “a lot of theater without a lot of substance.”
He said Trump conflates religious neutrality with discrimination against Christians and said the commission is “more about advancing religious privilege” and promoting Christian nationalism than protecting religious freedom across the board.
Also, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President Rachel Laser said the commission hearing was “more like a church service” and promoted the “lie that America is a Christian nation and that religion is under attack.”
In a news release, Laser said the hearing ignored what she viewed as the bigger issues when it comes to religious liberty, such as laws requiring public schools in several states to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
She referenced the “America Prays” initiative Trump mentioned at the hearing, calling it “a very dangerous undermining of the separation of church and state.”
“While a lot of these policies are smoke and mirrors in terms of change, there are elements that do pave a path for dangerous changes in the law, and they certainly embolden religious extremists to thwart the law,” she said.
