Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop of Washington, has spoken out for the first time since making a direct plea to President Donald Trump during the National Prayer Service in January. Her speech had challenged the administration’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and immigration. That action had sparked a major controversy and drew both support and criticism from across the country.
During the January 21st service—held just a day after Trump’s inauguration—Bishop Budde directly addressed Trump and Vice President JD Vance. In the confrontation, she urged them to consider the fears and struggles that the marginalized communities face under their administration.
“Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God,” she began. “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.”
She extended her message beyond the LGBTQ+ community and spoke for undocumented immigrants as well. “And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking 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.”
The speech was not well received by Trump, who later took to Truth Social to express his disdain. He dismissed Bishop Budde as a “Radical Left hardline Trump hater” and accused her of dragging religion into politics.
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hardline Trump hater,” Trump wrote. “She brought her church into the world of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone and not compelling or smart.”
Donald Trump slams Bishop Mariann Budde and demands an apology for her speech asking for grace with immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community:
“She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart…Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring… pic.twitter.com/9O4TEZwd6D
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 22, 2025
The President further claimed she failed to address “the large number of illegal migrants that came into our country and killed people” and declared the immigration crisis as a “giant crime wave”. Trump concluded his post with a personal attack on Budde’s work. He stated, “Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”
After remaining off social media for several weeks, Bishop Budde returned on February 25, sharing a video message on Instagram, where she expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support she received. “I stepped out of social media for some time, but I wanted to step back in to say thank you. I cannot tell you how much it’s meant to me to receive the letters and phone calls and notes and gifts and expressions of gratitude, support, and encouragement,” she said.
She went on to encourage unity and called for courage in difficult times. “I am persuaded that there is a spirit of love and goodness in this land that flows through all of us, and that now is a time for us to stand together, to take courage from one another, and learn together how we are to be brave now,” Budde stated.
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She ended her video with a hopeful message where she urged Americans to stay strong and committed to building a better society.
“We can do this, especially if we remember we are never alone… Together, God will work through us to bring about the kind of society, the kind of community we all deserve and that we want to pass on to those who come after us. Take good care, have courage, and remember that together, we can all be brave.”
