Episcopal bishop says she’ll continue to pray for Trump, who lashed out at her over viral sermon

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, said Wednesday that she will continue to pray for President Donald Trump, hours after he lashed out at her over a sermon.

“I don’t consider him an enemy,” Budde told The Associated Press.

“I believe we can disagree respectfully and put our ideas out there and continue to stand for the convictions we’ve been given without resorting to violence of speech.”

Budde made a direct appeal to Trump during a post-Inauguration prayer service he attended on Tuesday, asking him to show mercy to members of the LGBTQ+ community and migrants who are in the country illegally.

Trump called Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” on his Truth Social site on Wednesday.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” he posted after midnight. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”

Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde preached, “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.”

As the president looked on, Budde said, “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”

She preached that the “vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” but “good neighbors” and “faithful members” of religious communities.

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance looked visibly disgruntled at times as they sat in the front pew with their wives. Vance raised his eyebrows and said something to second lady Usha Vance, who stared straight ahead.

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “I didn’t think it was a good service.” Later, on Truth Social, he criticized Budde for failing to mention crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Budde knew last summer that the subject of her inaugural sermon would be unity after a “divisive election season.”

As she watched the Inauguration the day before she was set to preach, she noted that the prayers from Trump-supporting clergy were “coming at things from a pretty different perspective” than her.

“The Episcopal Church is not a large church, but we do have a what I would call a very generous view of God and a view of human beings,” she said. “And I wanted to make sure that people knew that also is a way to interpret the world through the lens of faith.”

She thought phrasing her words to the president as a plea for mercy “was a very gentle way to do it because I was acknowledging his authority and his power.”

“I guess I had that wrong,” she said.

The strong reactions to Budde’s sermon largely fell along predictable political and religious lines. Progressive people of faith found in her an inspiring example of “speaking truth to power.” Some conservative religious voices found her plea confrontational and disrespectful. Others took issue with a woman in a powerful church leadership role, which their traditions reserve for men.

National spokespeople for the Episcopal Church said Budde is “a valued and trusted pastor” and colleague. “We stand by Bishop Budde and her appeal for the Christian values of mercy and compassion.”

Progressive Christian activist and author Shane Claiborne wrote of Budde on X: “This is what it looks like to speak the truth in love.”

Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, in contrast, posted on X alongside a video of Budde preaching: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas, a prominent Trump supporter, was at the service and posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and “there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.”

Budde felt some of that pushback when she processed down the aisle of the cathedral after the service. The president did not acknowledge her when she passed.

“I try to make eye contact with people and to smile, and not a lot of smiles came back to me,” she said.

The bishop is mostly staying off social media. The vitriol of some of her critics was “the very thing” she was wanting to avoid with her sermon’s message of unity.

“I was hoping to address that culture of contempt in a way that said we could have a different kind of conversation with each other,” the softspoken cleric said.

Budde has criticized Trump in the past.

Most notably, she said she 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.

The Episcopal Church and its Anglican predecessor have long been a mainstay of American political power. It claimed more signers of the Declaration of Independence than any other denomination. Its reach has dwindled along with many mainline Protestant denominations in recent decades as more Americans no longer identify as religious.

The Episcopal Church continues to host high-profile events at its National Cathedral in Washington, including many inaugural prayer services and the recent funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.

Budde is the first woman to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a position she has held since 2011.

“I’m a mom. I’m a grandmother. I really care about the people in our communities,” Budde said.

“We’re far more alike with each other than we realize. And if we if we just take the time to know one another and know each other’s stories, we tend to soften.”

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Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.

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