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

NPR | By Neda Ulaby

Published May 27, 2026 at 4:40 AM EDT

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.

Neda Ulaby

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

See stories by Neda Ulaby

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