'Unity is not partisan': This Bishop checkmates 'King' and gets called 'nasty'

She earlier called Trump's win a 'dramatic shift of power,' which was 'worrisome and even frightening' for some members of her church.
Mariann Edgar Budde serves as spiritual leader for 86 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties.
Mariann Edgar Budde serves as spiritual leader for 86 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties.(Photo | Episcopal Diocese of Washington website)
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It was a plea on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and the migrant workers. But US President Donald Trump was not pleased. He called her 'nasty.'

At the inaugural prayer service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers.

Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde said, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies.

When he returned to the White House, Trump was asked about the sermon.

“Not too exciting, was it?” the president said as he walked with staff toward the Oval Office. “I didn’t think it was a good service. They could do much better.”

The Washington National Cathedral service was largely focused on national unity. Trump and Vice President JD Vance were in attendance with their families, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.

In her sermon, Budde said they gathered “to pray for unity as a people and a nation — not for agreement, political or otherwise — but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division.”

She added, “Unity is not partisan.”

Later, Donald Trump called the bishop "nasty" and demanded an apology from her, according to reports.

Social media reactions

"Such a profoundly love-centered, bold appeal to his humanity and on behalf of humanity," said Bernice King, youngest daughter of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King on platform X. She is the CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

Pastor Rev. Benjamin Cremer commented on platform X: "If your Christianity causes you to be offended by someone asking the most powerful person in the country to be merciful towards the powerless, then you have deeply, deeply misunderstood the teachings of Jesus Christ."

"Only women are brave enough to give back to the Dictators on their face!" noted Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden.

"Wow. A bishop just called out Trump and Vance to their faces at church," said podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen.

"You need a conscience to be affected by what she's saying. I fear it's water off a duck's back & wouldn't be surprised by some sort of pushback down the line. Courageous of her to speak up to those in power. May her tribe increase," said content creator, curator & consultant. Edutainer Siddhartha Basu on platform X.

Who is Mariann Edgar Budde?

Mariann Edgar Budde, according to the website of Episcopal Diocese of Washington, serves as spiritual leader for 86 Episcopal congregations and ten Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. The first woman elected to this position, she also serves as the chair of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which oversees the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral and Cathedral schools.

A passionate believer in the gospel of Jesus and the Episcopal Church’s particular witness, Bishop Budde is committed to the spiritual and numerical growth of congregations and developing new expressions of Christian community. She believes that Jesus calls all who follow him to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being. To that end, Bishop Budde is an advocate and organizer in support of justice concerns, including racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, and the care of creation, the website said.

Bishop Budde was consecrated as the ninth bishop of Washington in November 2011. Prior to her election, she served for 18 years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She earned a B.A. in history at the University of Rochester, graduating magna cum laude. She earned both a Masters in Divinity (1989) and Doctor of Ministry (2008) from Virginia Theological Seminary.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that the bishop has come out with her views against Trump.

Following the 2024 election, according to Daily Mail, Budde made a statement to her diocese in Washington, where she spoke about the 'divisive political rhetoric' used during the season.

She called Trump's win a 'dramatic shift of power,' which was 'worrisome and even frightening' for some members of her church.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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