President Donald Trump was criticized after he took to Truth Social in the middle of the night on Tuesday to attack Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde for calling him out at the National Prayer Service "in a very ungracious way."
The sermon delivered by Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, was part of a larger interfaith ceremony at Washington National Cathedral held the day after Trump’s inauguration. Trump sat in the front row alongside First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Second Lady Usha Vance, continuing a longstanding presidential tradition.
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During her address, Budde condemned the growing polarization in American politics, highlighting how "contempt fuels social media campaigns" and noting that "many profit" from that division. She spoke after Trump signed approximately 100 executive actions, many of which included policies targeting LGBTQ individuals and immigrants.
One sweeping executive order declared that the U.S. government would recognize only two sexes, male and female. Another order aimed to dismantle “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within federal agencies. Additionally, the administration removed LGBTQ resources from government websites, including a page on the State Department's site that had been dedicated to advancing LGBTQ rights globally.
On immigration, Trump enacted a series of executive orders, including measures to end birthright citizenship, halt all refugee admissions, and deploy the military to the southern border.
And on these notes, Budde said, looking directly at Trump:
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families. Some who fear for their lives.”
"They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Later, while walking through the White House colonnade with his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, Trump was approached by reporters asking for his thoughts on the sermon. He responded by asking, “Did you like it? Find it exciting?” before adding that he “didn’t think it was a good service, no” and remarked they “could do much better.”
And in the middle of the night, he issued the following post on Truth Social in which he called Budde a "so-called Bishop" and "Radical Left hard line Trump hater," repeating his unsubstantiated claimthat foreign governments are emptying their prisons and sending the released inmates to the United States:
"The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasy 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."
"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!"
You can see what he wrote below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Trump was swiftly called out.
In an interview with The View on Wednesday, Budde stated that her sermon on Tuesday was intended to serve as a call for national unity:
“I wanted to emphasize respecting the honor and dignity of every human being. I was trying to counter the narrative that is so divisive and polarizing and in which real people are being harmed.”
This was not the first time Budde criticized Trump.
In June 2020, she penned an op-ed for The New York Times condemning the then-president for ordering the clearing of Lafayette Square, near the White House, during the George Floyd protests. She also criticized his decision to pose for photos holding a Bible on the grounds of nearby St. John's Church.
At the time, she wrote:
"The God I serve is on the side of justice. Jesus calls his followers to emulate his example of sacrificial love and to build what he called the Kingdom of God on earth. What would the sacrificial love of Jesus look like now?"
Despite all this, Trump, who has never appeared comfortable with demonstrating any faith tradition himself, has insisted he has a "relationship with God," a claim that once prompted MSNBC's Joe Scarborough to criticize his remark as "beyond parody."
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