Donald Trump was hailed as a leader 'chosen and raised by God' to build an opulent new White House ballroom at a government-backed religious celebration in Washington on Sunday, triggering outrage from civil liberties groups and critics of his long‑standing alliance with conservative Christian leaders.
The nine-hour 'Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving' event was billed as a commemoration of 250 years of American religious heritage under the Trump administration's watch. The programme leaned heavily on two traditions that have been among Trump's most reliable political allies: Evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics. What it did not do, according to detractors, was offer anything close to a full picture of the increasingly plural religious life of the United States.
