Bishop Marrian Edgar Budde/ HANDOUT
It all began with a plea, which sparked a hashtag on X and a sharp response.
Speaking on Tuesday at an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde urged US President Donald Trump to "have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now."
Highlighting the millions who had trusted Trump to "make America great again", Budde called on him to show compassion, invoking the name of God in her statement.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people of our country, who are scared now,” she began.
“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some of whom fear for their lives.”
She also pleaded on behalf of immigrants, stating that many are not criminals and urging Trump not to deport them, as they are loyal to the US.
“I ask you to have mercy on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war and persecution in their own lands, to find compassion and welcome here,” Budde continued.
“Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.”
Throughout the two-minute plea, Trump, who was seated in the front row with his wife Melania alongside his deputy JD Vance and his wife, remained cool.
At one point, Vance raised his eyebrows and exchanged a look with his wife Usha Vance, while her gaze remained fixed forward.
Budde’s remarks followed President Trump's promise to carry out the largest deportation in US history and his executive order declaring that the government would only recognise two sexes—male and female.
In a sharp response, Trump called Budde “a radical left hardline Trump hater,” dismissing her plea.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, the President added that Budde’s tone was “nasty” and that she was “not compelling or smart.”
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard-line Trump hater,” Trump posted.
“She brought her church into the world of politics in a very ungracious way. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job. She and her church owe the public an apology.”
Who is Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde?
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, 65, is the first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a position she has held since November 2011.
She oversees 88 Episcopal congregations and 10 Episcopal schools across the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties.
Before becoming Washington’s first female diocesan bishop, Budde served for 18 years as the rector of St John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Budde was ordained as an Anglican deacon on May 28, 1988, and as a priest on March 4, 1989.
In May 2012, she received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary.
Bishop Budde is married to Paul, and together they have two adult sons, Amos and Patrick.
