I think a good motto is some concise combination of boast, threat, and statement of purpose. Like Quebec's: "Je me souviens" - literally, "I remember". It promises a commitment to maintaining national identity against assimilation pressure, stubborn resistance and a desire/ability to reward friendship and avenge wrongdoing.
Or consider the motto of the Starks from Game of Thrones: "Winter is Coming". This a statement of purpose (we need to try and survive), but also a boast and a threat (b/c the Starks used to be the Kings of Winter).
So what does "In God We Trust" convey in that frame? And how well does it fit?
The boast and threat aspects are fine. A claim of divine favor sorta works for that ("We're so awesome that God's on our side, so we can't lose!"). But as a statement of purpose? Is the US just supposed to go around trusting God all the time? This isn't a monastery!
"In God We Trust" would be a good motto for, say, a crusading order, which risks life and limb to expand trust in some deity at swordpoint. But that's not what America is or should be about!
And the thing is we have a really good national motto just lying around that we aren't using to its full potential:
"E Pluribus Unum" (from many, one) has been on our national seal since 1794. And as boast ("look at us, we've got our shit together") and a threat ("We're united and therefore powerful") it might be a little squishy.
But as statement of purpose - hell! as a description of the country - its perfect. The US is federation of states, and I think the highest conception of America is as a country peopled by a diverse array of hyphenated-Americans who despite their different backgrounds are all Americans together, with a shared commitment to liberty, democracy, and prosperity.
TL;DR: "In God We Trust" is exclusionary, "E Pluribus Unum" is inclusionary. America should be an inclusive place!
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