President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation declaring today the National Day of Prayer, and unlike his predecessor, he once again is making the day all about religion.
In his last National Day of Prayer proclamation, President Barack Obama wrote that America “was founded on the idea of religious freedom, and we have long upheld the belief that how we pray and whether we pray are matters reserved for an individual’s own conscience.”
President Trump instead is urging Americans to pray, even in “work, schools, and homes.”
“I encourage all Americans to observe this day, reflecting on the blessings our Nation has received and the importance of prayer, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in their houses of worship, communities, and places of work, schools, and homes,” he says in today’s proclamation.
It’s very much in keeping with Trump’s extreme nationalism, which includes an embrace of, as he has said, “one God.”
“Imagine what our country could accomplish if we started working together as one people, under one God, saluting one flag,” Trump said in 2016.
Trump did not attend church services this mornings as he did last year on the morning of the National Day of Prayer, but he will hold a ceremony at the White House slated to begin at 11 AM. You can watch below: