President Donald Trump fired off a scathing criticism of Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde on Tuesday night, condemning the clergywoman for politicizing the National Prayer Service earlier that afternoon by imploring him to “have mercy” on illegal immigrants and so-called transgender children.
In a now-viral moment that has stoked significant controversy online, Budde paused her oration to address the president directly, lamenting that the aforementioned groups now fear for their lives because of his return to office.
“In the name of our God, I ask you, to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said. “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families who fear for their lives.”
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“And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat-packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation,” she continued. “But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches.”
“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands, to find compassion and welcome here.”
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde begs President Trump to “have mercy” on gay, lesbian, and transgender children and illegal immigrants.pic.twitter.com/fZQfxrLe3x
— Valuetainment Media (@ValuetainmentTV) January 21, 2025
Budde, a longtime Trump critic who denounced the president as “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that we as a church stand for” during his first term, made her remarks shortly after Trump enacted a series of executive orders addressing immigration and gender ideology. In addition to authorizing mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship, Trump’s orders also officially declared there there are only two genders and put an end to “efforts to eradicate the biological reality of sex.”
In a fiery response to Budde’s statement, Trump questioned the legitimacy of her clerical office (likely based on the longstanding Christian doctrine that women cannot be church leaders) and condemned her for ignoring the harms caused by the very groups she tried to defend.
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA.”
Trump also criticized Budde’s service as “a very boring and uninspiring one.”
“She is not very good at her job!” he continued. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”
The president’s frustration was compounded by Budde’s subsequent CNN interview, where she argued that her sermon had been crafted as a one-on-one conversation with Trump. “I was speaking to the president because I felt he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say there is room for mercy,” she said.
This was quickly followed by an appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday afternoon, where she doubled down on her remarks once again.
COMING UP: Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde joins #TheView LIVE to respond after Pres. Trump criticized her pointed message yesterday at the inaugural prayer service where she called on the the president to show "mercy" toward LGBTQ people and immigrants. pic.twitter.com/RwQXlu7GOy
— The View (@TheView) January 22, 2025
“How could it not be politicized? We’re in a hyperpolitical climate,” Budde said of her service during her segment on the show. “I was trying to speak a truth that I felt needed to be said, but to do it in as respectful and kind a way as I could, and also to bring other voices into the conversation that had not been heard for some time.”
“My responsibility that morning was to pray with the nation for unity,” she continued. “I wanted to emphasize respecting basic honesty and humility.”
Nice try, lady, but 1 Timothy 2:12. https://t.co/wz1ttPqScA
— Connor Walcott – VT (@connor_VT) January 21, 2025
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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