A bishop leading the U.S. presidential inaugural prayer service on Tuesday made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, asking him to “have mercy” on the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers who are in the United States illegally.
Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, directly spoke to Trump while he and Vice-President J.D. Vance were seated in the front row.
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,” the bishop said in her sermon, which lasted 15 minutes. “Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, 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.
“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
The appeal to protect immigrants and respect gay rights came just one day after Trump, in his inauguration speech, declared there were only two genders in America and signed executive orders to crack down on immigrants and roll back transgender rights.
On Monday Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown, tasking the U.S. military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on U.S. soil.
But Budde came to their defence, highlighting the work they do in the country and reminding Trump that most are on the right side of the law.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labour 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, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” she said.
“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. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger.”
After he returned to the White House, Trump said, “I didn’t think it was a good service” and “they could do much better.” But later, in an overnight post on his social media site, Truth Social, he sharply criticized the “so-called Bishop” as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” and demanded an apology.
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” said Trump, a Republican, adding that Budde didn’t mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people.
@realDonaldTrump / Truth Social
“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” Trump said. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”
The Washington National Cathedral service was largely focused on national unity. Trump, Vance and their families attended, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump’s defence secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth.
The Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both major political parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.
The latest service had a different emphasis than previous ones. Its focus was on the nation instead of the new administration — a plan made before Election Day.
“We are in a unique moment in our country’s history, and it is time to approach this differently,” the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Episcopal cathedral, said in an October 2024 statement. “This will be a service for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy.”
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (L) arrives as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Tuesday marks Trump’s first full day of his second term in the White House.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Budde, who gave this year’s sermon, has joined other cathedral leaders in criticizing Trump previously, rebuking his “racialized rhetoric” and blaming him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.
Budde was “outraged” in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.
—With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
#Bishop #calls #Trump #mercy #LGBTQ #immigrant #communities #National
