"The only time that President Trump has been at St. John's church as president was on the morning of his inauguration," she said.
Budde is joined by other religious leaders in condemning the photo op.
Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, said that Trump's photo op while holding a Bible, juxtaposed with a prior show of military force, represented "one of the most flagrant misuses of religion I have ever seen."
"This only underscores the president's complete lack of compassion for Black Americans and the lethal consequences of racism," he said.
Similarly, Jesuit priest Rev. James Martin joined Budde in suggesting Trump was using the Bible as a prop.
"The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. And God is not a plaything," he said.
This is not the first time that Trump has been accused of using the Bible as more of a piece of set dressing and less of a sacred religious tome. For example, as The Atlantic reported in 2016, Trump has been photographed more than once holding a Bible and has even said that the Judeo-Christian text is his favorite book. However, he has also struggled to name a favorite verse, and when he did cite a favorite verse -- an Old Testament passage about criminal law -- he was accused of taking it out of context and misunderstanding it.
Similarly, as The Chicago Tribune reported in 2016, Trump claimed that the Bible is his favorite book and that he reads it frequently. However, when pressed to name a favorite verse, he was unable to do so. He also claimed at the time that he is a Presbyterian and frequently attended Marble Collegiate Church, which is not a Presbyterian church. Officials at the church said that he is not an active member of the congregation.
