Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington D.C., said Wednesday that she preached “unity” as she addressed President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance about transgender kids and illegal immigrants during the National Prayer Service.
Budde told Trump and Vance during Tuesday’s service that gay, lesbian and transgender kids as well as illegal immigrants are “scared” by the new administration and urged the president to “have mercy” on them, causing visible eye rolls from the president and vice president.
The pastor, who made an appearance on “The View,” told the co-hosts that she attempted to preach “unity” and include all people in the conversation.
READ: Hosts Of Left-Wing Orgs Fund ‘Free Speech’ Group Now Pushing For Trump Impeachment
“My responsibility that morning was to reflect, to pray with the nation for unity and as I was pondering what are the foundations of unity, I wanted to emphasize respecting the honor and dignity of every human being, basic honesty and humility. And then I also realized that unity requires a certain degree of mercy and compassion and understanding. And so, knowing that a lot of people as I said in our country right now are really scared, I wanted to take the opportunity in the context of that service for unity to say we need to treat everyone with dignity and we need to be merciful. I was trying to counter the narrative that is so divisive and polarizing in which real people are being harmed.”
Budde said she needed to express “what was on [her] heart to say” during her speech and hoped that Trump and Vance would consider her message.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Budde politicized religion in a “very ungracious way” and that she owed the nation an apology.
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” the president said. “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. 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 a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!”
READ: CNN Panel’s Narrative On BLM Riots Goes Up In Smoke After Jennings, Attorneys Give History Lesson
The president told Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese Tuesday that he did not find the sermon “too exciting.”
While answering co-host Sara Haines’ question, the pastor said her message is being “misconstrued” and “politicized” due to the so-called “culture of contempt” and “hyper-political climate.”
“You seemed to strike a nerve,” Haines began. “President Trump initially said yesterday ‘it was not a good service,’ but he took to social media to say you were a ‘radical left hard line Trump hater,’ that you brought the church into politics and that you owe your church and the public an apology. Given your role, it doesn’t seem surprising that you would speak out for the marginalized, for anyone whose read the Bible and knows the path of Jesus, but do you think your question is being misconstrued and politicized?”
“How can it not be politicized, we’re in a hyper-political climate,” Budde said. “One of the things I caution about is this culture of contempt in which we live which immediately rushes to the worst possible interpretations of what people are saying and then to put them in categories such as the ones you just described. That’s part of the air we breathe now.”
READ: Trump Threatens New Tariffs On Russia Over Ukraine War, Pressures Kremlin For Swift Resolution
Trump signed 11 executive orders pertaining to the U.S.-Mexico border and illegal immigration, which included declaring a national emergency, reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy and revoking birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants. These swift actions came as the number of border encounters reached a record high of 8.5 million during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
The president also signed an executive order Monday directing the federal government to only recognize two genders, male and female, and required agencies to use the term “sex” instead of “gender.”
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.