America at 250: A Nation Under God?

In September 2025, US President Donald Trump launched “America Prays” during an address at the Museum of the Bible, emphasizing his administration’s dedication to “defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God.” The call—presented as part of a broader campaign leading up to America’s 250th anniversary—was for Americans to unite in prayer for the nation and its people. Declaredly backed by more than 70 major faith organizations and churches, the initiative makes a seemingly innocuous ask: “What if one million Americans dedicated one hour a week to praying for our country and our people?” It is presented as an “opportunity” for people to come together to, in Trump’s words, “make our country greater, stronger, more united, and more faithful than ever before.”

Throughout its history, the United States has grappled with its relationship to religion. The First Amendment of the US Constitution canonized the secularity of the nation, detailing two provisions: the “Free Exercise” clause and the “Establishment” clause. While the former protects each US citizen’s right to practice their religion, the latter prohibits the US government from establishing a national religion. Through the inclusion of both clauses, the First Amendment balances freedom of and freedom from religion. The US Supreme Court has continued to this day to negotiate the parameters, minutia, and ambiguities of the First Amendment and the inherent push-pull between these clauses in an ongoing effort to mitigate and maintain the “wall of separation between church and state” Thomas Jefferson wrote of. 

American religious historians, however, have noted the mutual imbrication of Christian values and ideals with US foreign policy, from the divinely ordained expansionist premise of Manifest Destiny and colonialism to the geoeconomically impactful prosperity gospel to the throughline of American exceptionalism. What the “America Prays” initiative brings to light is that US secularism has long been both inherently religious and demonstrably Christian. The United States is a nation that prays—as agreed upon by numerous major faith organizations listed on the White House website, every one of which is explicitly Christian. “America Prays” doubles down on the notion that the United States is God-given, God-driven, and godly-determined to play a unique (read: uniquely superior) role on the world stage. 

"As America moves into its next 250 years, what will become of American secularism?"

How are we to understand the relationship between this White House-derived facet of the America 250 celebration and the country’s foundational premise as a secular democracy? What does it mean for America to be a nation under God? And what are the implications for US foreign policy and perceptions of the United States on the global stage?

The United States is showing evidence of moving away from purported secularism and toward a more patently overt American Christian nationalism. Numerous Trump administration appointees espouse Christian nationalist theology—most notably “Project 2025” architect Russell Vought. While the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2024 survey reveals that only three in 10 Americans qualify as Christian nationalism adherents or sympathizers, the prominence of adherents in the Trump administration denotes a discernable foreign policy shift worth noting and watching closely. It also maps onto a global trend of religious nationalism, from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindutva policies to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s increasingly right-wing Likud Party to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s championing of Christian values. 

As an ideal, American secularism uplifts religious pluralism and the First Amendment enshrines the free exercise of religion. In reality, American secularism is grounded in a Christian supremacy that informs domestic and foreign policy alike, which is why 71 percent of Christian nationalist adherents believe in a US immigrant invasion and the Great Replacement Theory. This belief is made manifest in the justifications underpinning the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies. But migration is only one foreign policy issue fueled by Christian nationalist premises. 

As America moves into its next 250 years, what will become of American secularism? And how will that shape US global engagement for decades to come?