President Donald Trump has demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington following her remarks during an inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.
The bishop, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, urged the president to show compassion toward LGBTQ+ individuals and migrant workers living in the U.S. without legal status.
“You have felt the providential hand of a loving God,” Budde said during her sermon. “I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
“One final plea…have mercy” Bishop asks Trump for compassion for immigrants, and their children, also LGBTQ, and those in war zones. A powerful message at the National Prayer Service. #Trump #Bishop #Truth #Love pic.twitter.com/M3qusFvHIi
— Wise Latinas Linked (@wiselatinaslink) January 21, 2025
Trump expresses discontent with the service
Trump later expressed dissatisfaction with the service. Upon returning to the White House, he told reporters, “I didn’t think it was a good service.”
That night, he criticized Budde on his social media platform, calling her a “so-called Bishop” and a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
He accused her of bringing politics into the church and described her tone as “nasty.” Trump also claimed Budde ignored crimes committed by some migrants. The cathedral did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday (January 22, 2025). Trump has a history of calling women who criticize him, including Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, “nasty”.
Just in: President Trump calls out the so called Bishop💥 pic.twitter.com/q5ui6jjGlL
— Jami Thomassen (@jtc90) January 22, 2025
Focus shifts to National unity
The prayer service, traditionally held after inaugurations, was focused on national unity this year rather than the incoming administration.
The Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, explained in a statement last October that the decision to emphasize the nation as a whole was made before Election Day.
“This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy,” Hollerith said.
Notable attendees and absentees
Prominent attendees included Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth. The service featured interfaith leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions.
Conservative evangelicals, a key base of Trump’s support, were absent from the speaking program but attended as guests. Notable figures included Robert Jeffress, pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist Church, and televangelist Paula White-Cain, who served as a spiritual adviser during Trump’s first term.
Budde’s sermon, which focused on unity and community, emphasized the need to come together across divisions. “Unity is not partisan,” she said, adding that it fosters connection rather than agreement.
Budde’s history of criticism
Budde, a vocal critic of Trump, has previously rebuked his rhetoric and blamed him for inciting the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. In 2020, she expressed outrage when Trump posed with a Bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church after authorities cleared the area of peaceful protesters.
The sermon and Trump’s demand for an apology from Bishop sparked debate on social media. Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, praised Budde for “naming the truth.” Meanwhile, Jeffress called her remarks “insulting” and claimed they caused “palpable disgust” among attendees.
