Route 250 Pt. 1
Christian nationalism, cage fighting and camera restrictions
So as you may or may not know, this year has seen the unfortunate confluence of America’s semiquincentennial coinciding with the rule of a virulently ideological far-right administration with authoritarian tendencies. Naturally the latter wants to highjack the former. And so it is that this summer we have been blessed with a program of events that range from pure bread and circuses to outright propaganda that would make Josef Gobbels blush.
First up was Rededicate 250. That would be rededicating America to God of course. Yes, a Christian nationalist jamboree funded and put on by the federal government, fuck the Constitution, fuck your tax dollars and most of all, fuck you. From the official website:
“On Sunday, May 17, 2026, the National Mall will be the scene of a historic gathering as Americans of every background across the country prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God...Rededicate 250 will be rooted in giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250.”
Blessed be the fruit.
If you’ve been following me, you might be rather unsurprised to know that I looked forward to this one despite my personal aversion to the ideology being presented. In photography, sometimes the aversion is the attraction. Many of my favourite shoots since being back in the US have been either MAGA or religious rallies...this was to be a direct, official and federally created amalgamation of both. Surely this would be absolutely spectacular.
Well...
The first ill portent came when we got a text from our friend Mukul: “they aren’t letting cameras in”.
What. The. Fuck? The images I had in my head of buzzing around crowds praising, praying and speaking in tongues began to deflate. This big event that I had been oh so anticipating began to look like it might up being a cock block of Biblical proportions.
The excuse of course would be "security", because we all know that a camera looks just like a gun if your eyes are really shit and of course the VIPs probably fancy themselves the next Charlie Kirk. I called bullshit though because the year prior at Trumps birthday/Army parade thing, cameras were fine so as long as you let the Secret Service have a wee look at them.
We tried our luck anyway. Gareth got through- he dealt with the one unicorn of a security guard who knew anything at all about photography and grasped that his camera was in fact incapable of firing bullets. No dice for me or Mukul though. We were stuck to the perimeter amongst a motley smattering of true believers, street preachers and counter protestors and discarded Christian nationalist tracts also refused entry by security.
There was a megaphone lecture by some lady saying that the founding fathers were Freemasons and therefore satanists, before attempting to blow the shofar and producing a sound akin to shitting oneself.
The counterprotestors attempted to remind attendees of the concept of church/state separation and that their lord and saviour is mostly likely pedophile (I mean Trump in this case). None of this penetrated of course.
To escape the punishing heat, one could escape to the Freedom Truck, Prager U's propaganda on wheels. I had heard of this fabled lorry and was kind of excited to check it out hoping for something luridly unhinged but found it pretty underwhelming. You would have had to take the time to read the crap on the walls and read between a few lines. I’m sorry Prager U, I don’t know who you’re trying to brainwash here but todays kids just do not have that kind of attention span.
The one “highlight” was the uncanny AI George Washington, which was pretty revealing in and of itself. Prager U could have easily paid for a basic actor in a powdered wig but chose the AI route simply because MAGA is hellbent on shoving it down our throats where ever possible.
Gareth had found the event beyond the gates to be a little...meh. Definitely no Communion America. I posed for a photo holding a finger over my mouth (as to look saucy/contemplative), a guy in a shirt that said “Mandatory Sunday Sabbath- 666” (???) asked if I was a Freemason, because apparently saucily/contemplatively putting your finger to your mouth is a thing Freemasons do.
We left not long after finding Rededicate 250 to be a bit of a damp squib. It was underwhelming and underpowered, despite the loud headline-grabbing promotion by the federal government—a common theme with a lot of things put on by this administration. Gilead may not be in the most competent of hands it would seem- something the rest of us should be thankful for.
I suppose its worth mentioning the UFC event at the White House a month later. They were even stricter about cameras here (not even GoPros!) - refusing even accredited photojournalists on the job.
Once again, we were stuck outside the fences doing our best to make something out of the people walking to the event we were barred from. Would have been better off spending time amongst the lush green of the Reflecting Pool where the hilarious algae saga was just beginning, because what we were left with was a little lame. It too bad as well, because it looked like there was some real 'Merica Fuck Yeah gold beyond the exclusion zone.
The near-total camera ban left a bad taste in my mouth because it felt like there was an ulterior motive aside from security- it felt like it was about a form of control. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid? Thankfully for subsequent events it seems the camera ban has been dropped, but nonetheless you can't help but notice a theme emerging with the semiquincentennial. Much of central DC has the overbearing feel of a militarised checkpoint at the moment, the rules and restrictions based on random whim.
So far, Trumps Freedom 250 doesn't feel so free and right now we're debating whether we should spend the 4th in Philadelphia instead...
Great article as ever! Ironic how Trump doesn't actually attend church, covets money above all else, and cheated on all three of his wives, etc etc.. Oh, and he's a pedo. How on earth can his supporters justify this? They must think God is an idiot. Is this just a national mental health crisis parading as patriotism? So many questions. It's tough to watch America eat itself, but you're doing a fine job of documenting it Gavin! Stay safe.
I can't believe that is really a word — semiquincentennial. I was so hoping you invented it.