The construction of the CVC was not without controversary. For one thing, like many government undertakings, construction of the CVC ended up costing considerably more than its projected expense. In addition, as John J. Miller of National Review notes:
Just a few weeks before the opening of [the] $621 million underground complex...[the builders of the CVC] were trying to correct a dumb mistake. A major display misidentified the nation's motto as "E pluribus unum." In reality, the national motto is "In God We Trust"...Anyone who looks closely at the panel at the front of the exhibition hall will see the temporary plaster fix-up job.
Nevertheless, some would dispute the notion that the builders of the CVC had made a "dumb mistake." For example, Prof. Thomas A. Foster of DePaul University contends that E Pluribus Unum ("out of many, one"), a Latin phrase which appears on the Great Seal of the United States, "has long been acknowledged as a de facto national motto." Consequently, from this perspective, it should not be surprising that there is some confusion as to what the national motto actually is. Foster even goes so far as to claim that "in the 1770s and '80s Congress opposed a theistic motto for the nation, and many of the founders worked hard to prevent one from being established." In other words, the founding fathers would have actually rejected "In God We Trust" as the nation's motto. However, Foster fails to provide any incontrovertible evidence to that effect--at least in my opinion--which suggests he has something of an axe to grind.
Regardless of the question of whether or not thinking E Pluribus Unum is the national motto is a "dumb mistake," under current Federal law "In God We Trust" is the official national motto. So, how did it become the nation's official motto? For the origin of "In God We Trust" as the national motto, we must go back to the period of the American Civil War (1861-1865). According to an article at govmint.com, "Salmon P. Chase, then Secretary of the Treasury, received numerous appeals from devout people of faith throughout the country, all urging that the United States recognize the Deity on U.S. coins." Chase then wrote to the Director of the U.S. Mint, stating: "The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition" (as quoted in Daniel Avery, "Where Does 'In God We Trust' Come From? National Motto Appearing in Public Schools Across America, Newsweek, August 6, 2019). Eventually, the motto "In God We Trust" was settled upon, and it first appeared on the two-cent coin in 1864. Later legislation required that the motto appear on all U.S. coins--although it was later removed from some coins for a number of years.
Adoption of "In God We Trust" as the official national motto would come nearly a century after it first started appearing on U.S. coins. According to Daniel Avery, in the 1950s, with the onset of the Cold War, "politicians of both parties were eager to make a clear distinction between [what they saw as] God-fearing America and the godless Soviet Union" (for a similar reason, the phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance during this time) Consequently, in 1956 Congress passed and President Dwight Eisenhower signed, legislation making "In God We Trust" the official motto of the United States. This was just a year after legislation had been enacted requiring the motto to appear on all U.S. coins and paper currency (see Blair Parke,"Why Is 'In God We Trust' on US Money?" crosswalk.com, October 23, 2019).
As for the origin of the actual phrase "In God We Trust" (as opposed to the concept), it is possible that it was inspired by a line in Francis Scott Key's 1814 poem "The Defense of Fort M'Henry," which eventually became the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner":
Then conquer we must, when our cause, it is just
And this be our motto--"in God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
To conclude, whether or not the founding fathers would have approved, "In God We Trust" is in fact the official motto of the United States, even if its adoption as such occurred relatively recently in our nation's history. To be fair, there are some Americans today who would not agree with the sentiment it expresses, but in the absence of any legal change in its status, "In God We Trust" remains our nation's official motto.
Image of a U.S. penny coin with the motto "In God We Trust" from Wikimedia Commons