Last week, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington garnered national headlines for rebuking President Donald Trump’s policies during the Inauguration Day service at Washington National Cathedral.
At the cathedral’s Service of Prayer for the Nation, Budde directly addressed Trump, who was seated in the front row alongside his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
“In the Name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said to the commander-in-chief. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families. Some who fear for their lives.”
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The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde takes a swipe @realDonaldTrump at the @WNCathedral service, says trans kids and families now “fear for their lives.” pic.twitter.com/yd9FRy8VSP
— Melissa Barnhart (@MelBarnhart) January 21, 2025
“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat-packing 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.”
Budde asked Trump “to have mercy” on those “in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away and that you help those who are fleeing warzones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
Here are seven interesting facts about Budde. They include her past criticism of the president, supporting the changing of the Washington Redskins name, and fundamentalist Christian influence on her walk of faith.
