UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2025, 8:07 a.m. ET): President Donald Trump lashed out at the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde in a Truth Social post early Wednesday morning over her pointed remarks to him at a national prayer service a day earlier. “She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” he wrote.
Before dozens of attendees at a national prayer service in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington directly addressed President Donald Trump in her sermon, urging him to reconsider his attacks on marginalized communities.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” the Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde told Trump as he sat in the front row at the Washington National Cathedral. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children, and Democratic and Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
Budde made her plea on behalf of undocumented immigrants who work jobs, pay taxes and live among others, as well as refugees who come to the United States in search of safety and a better life.
“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities — these children fear that their parents will be taken away,” she said. “And that you help those that are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands find compassion and welcome here.”
Budde’s remarks came the day after Trump signed a raft of executive actions on his first day in office, including orders cracking down on immigration and rolling back protections for transgender Americans. Some of his executive orders — like his effort to roll back birthright citizenship — are already facing legal challenges.
Budde delivered her sermon at a national prayer service that newly-inaugurated presidents attend as part of a longstanding tradition. He was accompanied by his family and Vice President JD Vance. It’s unusual for a president to be confronted so directly in such a setting. Some praised Budde for her courage to publicly address Trump on his policies, while some of the president’s MAGA allies criticized her. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., for example, inexplicably called for Budde, an American citizen, to be “added to the deportation list.” Trump did not appear to take Budde’s words to heart. Upon his return to the White House, Trump told a reporter that the service was “not too exciting.” “I didn’t think it was a good service,” he added. “They can do much better.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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