God & Country: Why Christian Nationalists love to see George Washington praying

NPR | By Neda Ulaby

Published May 27, 2026 at 3:40 AM CDT

A painting of a praying George Washington is being used by the Trump administration to argue that the founders were godly men. But one expert says the event depicted likely never happened.

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Neda Ulaby

Neda Ulaby reports on arts, entertainment, and cultural trends for NPR's Arts Desk.

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