Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde made it clear she would not apologize for her plea to President Trump during her sermon at Washington’s National Cathedral.
This followed a sermon she delivered at Washington’s National Cathedral, where she addressed Trump directly.
“I decided to ask him as gently as I could to have mercy,” Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, said while appearing on NPR’s All Things Considered.
She warned of the dangers of labeling groups broadly, stating, “particularly immigrants, as all being criminals or transgender children somehow being dangerous.”
Speaking during the prayer service, with Trump and Vice President Vance seated in the front row, Budde said, “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
Her remarks sparked backlash, with one Republican congressman suggesting she be “added to the deportation list.”
Despite this, Budde stood by her words, “I don’t hate the president, and I pray for him,” she said. “I don’t feel there’s a need to apologize for a request for mercy.”
She expressed regret only for the divisive reactions.
“It confirmed the very thing I was speaking of earlier, which is our tendency to jump to outrage and not speak to one another with respect. But no, I won’t apologize for what I said.”
Budde’s plea followed Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender identity and birthright citizenship, which she said have heightened fear among vulnerable groups.
“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” she said.
