On January 21, 2025, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of Washington National Cathedral preached at the traditional National Prayer Service that has become the focal point of national discussion. She spoke directly to President Donald Trump, imploring him to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” citing “gay, lesbian, transgender children” and immigrant families.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is the Episcopal Bishop of Washington. Bishop Mariann has served since 2011 as the first female bishop to the position. Bishop Mariann served for 18 years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bishop Budde was educated at the Virginia Theological Seminary where she received her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees. Bishop Budde is 65 years old. She has always been an advocate for social justice issues such as racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals.
National prayer service sermon
She made a moving appeal to President Trump in her sermon when she said:
“I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared. There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families — some who fear for their lives.”
She indicated that the immigration cause should also not be shelved and most of them “are not criminals” but rather “good neighbours.”
President Trump’s reaction
As usual, after the service, the president vented his frustration at the ceremony and attacked Bishop Budde on his social media platform, Truth Social. He said she was “a Radical Left hard line Trump hater who stated, ‘We shall overcome,’ a nasty in tone, not compelling or smart sermon about how everyone must overcome racism but without once mentioning Jesus Christ.
History of friction
This is not the first instance of friction between Bishop Budde and President Trump. In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, she publicly criticized the President for using St. John’s Church as a backdrop for a photo opportunity after protesters were cleared from Lafayette Square. She expressed being “outraged” and “horrified” by his actions, accusing him of using “sacred symbols” while “espousing positions antithetical to the Bible.”
Bishop Budde’s clarification
In a follow-up interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Bishop Budde explained further that she intended to remind the President and the nation that “marginalized groups are our fellow human beings.” She added, “I wanted to counter, as gently as I could, with a reminder of their humanity and their place in our wider community.”
Public reaction
The exchange between Bishop Budde and President Trump has sparked a wide-ranging discussion. Supporters of the Bishop praise her for speaking truth to power and advocating for vulnerable communities. Critics argue that the National Prayer Service was not the right place for such remarks, seeing them as politically charged. The incident underscores the ongoing national debate over the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice.
