Trump criticizes ‘nasty’ bishop who made pro-immigrant and LGBTQ+ plea
Share:
Mariann Edgar Budde’s inaugural prayer service sermon draws fury from conservatives as others praise her ‘courage’. After a bishop at the National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration on Tuesday implored Donald Trump to “have mercy upon” immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, many have spoken out about the remarks – including Trump himself.
![[‘They fear for their lives’: Bishop confronts Trump on immigration and gay rights – video]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a253954b69723561f0cecfd87e54ad3e3f63e218/0_0_1920_1080/1920.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
In a lengthy social media post early on Wednesday, Trump called the Right Rev Mariann Edgar Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” adding that “she brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way” and criticized her tone as “nasty”.
Later on in the statement, Trump described the service as “boring” and “uninspiring” and said that Budde and her church “owe the public an apology!”. Budde, 65, who is the first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, used her inaugural prayer service sermon at the Washington National Cathedral to appeal to Trump directly.
She urged him to show mercy to scared individuals, including “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families” some, who she said “fear for their lives”. Budde emphasized the contributions of immigrants, and stated that “the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals, they pay taxes, and are good neighbors, they are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara and temples”, and added: “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.”.
