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Trump Slams Bishop Who Urged Compassion For LGBTQ+ Youth As ‘Nasty’ And Stupid—She’s Neither, Of Course

January 22, 2025

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivers a sermon during the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's courage and grace are causing conservatives to lose their minds. Are you surprised?

To anyone still holding out hope that Donald Trump will suddenly embrace decorum in a second term, let’s chat—we’ve got a bridge on the moon you might be interested in buying. In his first days in office, the president has already gone out of his way to call a woman “nasty” and “not very good at her job.”

At the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered a powerful sermon during President Trump’s inaugural prayer service, pleading for compassion and mercy toward marginalized groups.

“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said, addressing Trump directly. She highlighted the fears of LGBTQ+ children, stating, “They are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” and extended her call for mercy to immigrants as well.

Related: What LGBTQ+ People Should Know About Trump’s First Day Back In Office

The president sat in the front row alongside First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Second Lady Usha Vance. Throughout the sermon, Trump appeared disengaged, at times turning to glance over his shoulder or flipping through his booklet.

Following the service, Trump dismissed the sermon to a reporter from The Hill as “boring” and “uninspiring,” stating, “They could do much better.” Then he took to Truth Social to lambast Bishop Budde, calling her a “Radical Left hard-line Trump hater” and accusing her of bringing politics into the church “in a very ungracious way.”

“She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” Trump wrote, before launching into the anti-immigrant rhetoric that helped get him elected. “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 very boring and uninspiring. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”

Related: The Most Honest Reactions to Trump’s Inauguration: A Queer Roundup

The bishop’s heartfelt plea to Trump quickly went viral on social media, garnering widespread support while also sparking intense criticism from some Republicans. Congressman Mike Collins (R) went so far as to share a video of the sermon on X, writing, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

Bishop Budde responded to the backlash during an interview with CNN, explaining her intention: “I was reminding us all that the people that are frightened in our country, the two groups that I mentioned, are our fellow human beings, and that they have been portrayed all throughout the political campaign in the harshest of lights.”

Reflecting on her message to Trump, she said: “I was speaking to the president because I felt that he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say there is room for mercy. There is room for a broader compassion. We don’t need to portray with a broad cloth in the harshest of terms some of the most vulnerable people in our society, who are in fact our neighbors and our friends.”

Bishop Budde responded to President Trump’s initial criticism with measured remarks: “I speak from what I believe I’ve been given to say and let it go from there. It was a respectful response. He didn’t like it. He said so. Some of the other comments I’ve received haven’t been as kind or as muted, shall we say.”

To be clear, the bishop was responding only to Trump’s comments to the reporter. It’s hard to imagine anyone describing his Truth Social rant as “kind” or “muted.”

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