Trump to Participate in America Reads the Bible Event for Nation's 250th Anniversary
President Donald Trump is scheduled to read from 2 Chronicles on Tuesday as part of a weeklong Bible-reading initiative in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States independence.
According to America Reads the Bible, the organizing body behind the initiative, the president will read from 2 Chronicles 7:11–22, a passage that includes the verse: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” in a video message from the Oval Office, during the 6 p.m. ET hour on Tuesday.
Bunni Pounds, founder and president of Christians Engaged, is leading the initiative, titled One Week. One Nation. One Book,” which is based on the biblical account of Ezra’s public reading of Scripture, The Christian Post reported.
“We are thankful that President Trump has agreed to read one of the most important Scripture passages for the American church, offering God’s promise that if we pray and repent as His people, He will forgive our sins and heal our land. What hope this moment gives us for national healing and renewal,” Pounds said in a statement.
Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Trump’s first administration, along with his wife, Candy Carson, are scheduled to speak following the president’s reading.
House Speaker Mike Johnson helped kick off the opening celebration and is scheduled to read from Genesis 24, which traces the generational blessing from Abraham to Isaac. Additional speakers at the Bible reading event include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.
The event features daily Bible readings from Genesis to Revelation from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Museum of the Bible’s World Stage Theater from Sunday through Saturday, which can be attended publicly. Nearly 500 leaders and representatives of 122 ministries in Washington, D.C., are participating in the event, which will also be livestreamed online through Great American Pure Flix.
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‘America Reads the Bible’: 500 Participants Gather in D.C. for Weeklong Scripture Reading
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Originally published April 20, 2026.
