Donald Trump issued a scathing rebuke to the woke bishop, who berated him during the National Prayer Service, branded her “not compelling or smart” and demanded an apology from the public.
The president denounced Washington Bishop Mariann Budde in a 1 a.m. post on his Truth Social platform, hours after she admitted to CNN that she used the religious event to deliver a political lecture.
“The so-called bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a radical left hardline Trump hater,” he railed.
'She has brought her church into the world of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.”
After Budde used her sermon to beg Trump for “mercy” toward transgender children and illegal immigrants, Trump said her argument ignored reality.
“She failed to mention the large number of illegal immigrants entering our country and killing people,” he continued. 'Many have been deposited from prisons and psychiatric institutions. It's a massive crime wave happening in the US.
'Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was very boring and uninspiring. She's not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!'
The post came as Budde's sermon sparked widespread backlash from conservatives, with Republican Congressman Mike Collins even calling for the radical bishop to be “added to the deportation list.”
Donald Trump issued a scathing rebuke to the woke bishop who berated him during the National Prayer Service and labeled her 'not compelling or smart' as he demanded an apology
Trump remained stony-faced during Bishop Mariann Budde's sermon at Tuesday's National Prayer Service as she begged him to give 'mercy' to transgender children and illegal immigrants
Budde, 65, the left-wing Episcopal bishop of Washington, later admitted in her homily that she used the religious event to speak “directly” to Trump
Budde's sermon went viral on Tuesday after she delivered a wild lecture claiming that trans children were “fearing for their lives” now that Trump is back in the White House.
Trump sat stone-faced in the front row, next to First Lady Melania Trump, as the prelate told him that illegal immigrants were “not criminals” and that he should not deport people with children.
Budde implored Trump to “give mercy to those in our country who are now afraid,” invoking the Bible when she said, “God teaches us to be merciful to the stranger.”
“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some of whom fear for their lives,” she continued.
On illegal immigrants, a central issue in Trump's victorious presidential platform, Budde urged him not to go ahead with his mass deportation plans.
“The people who pick our crops, clean our office buildings, who work on poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work night shifts in hospitals, they may not be citizens or have proper documentation,” she said .
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have compassion, Mr. President, for those in communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away.”
Trump didn't respond to the pointed message as he stared at Budde, though others in his group, including new Vice President JD Vance, had a more telling look on their faces.
Speaking to reporters at the White House shortly after the service, Trump was more reserved than his Truth Social rebuke, but briefly said he thought Budde “could have been a lot better.”
In an interview hours after the sermon, Budde said she gave the viral political lecture because of the way Trump portrayed transgender children and illegal immigrants “in the harshest light.”
Donald Trump said in brief remarks at the White House that Budde 'could have been much better' in response to her Tuesday sermon
In an interview with CNN hours after her sermon went viral, Budde admitted that she used the religious event to berate Trump in what she described as a “one-on-one conversation.”
She said she felt compelled to give the controversial speech because of the way Trump portrayed transgender children and illegal immigrants “in the harshest light.”
“(I reminded) all of us that the people who are afraid in our country, the two groups I mentioned, are our fellow human beings, and they have been portrayed in the harshest light throughout the entire political campaign,” she said.
“I wanted to respond as kindly as possible with a reminder of their humanity and their place in our wider community.
“I spoke to the president because I felt that he is now in a moment where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say that there is room for grace. There is room for broader compassion.
“We don't need to paint in the harshest terms with a broad canvas some of the most vulnerable people in our society, who are in fact our neighbors and friends.”
While Budde's sermon sparked outrage among conservatives who questioned her decision to politicize the religious service, Republican Congressman Mike Collins said of X, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”
Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio also stepped in to condemn Budde, saying on X, “As a Catholic and legal immigrant, it is outrageous that a woke bishop would lecture President Trump about deporting illegals.
“It's an insult to all of us who came to this country the right way. If you don't have borders, you don't have a country.'
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who watched the inauguration with the Trump family on Monday evening, labeled Budde's lecture as “shameful.”
“She was given a great honor today, an opportunity to unite America around a Christian message at the start of a new administration,” he said on X.
“Instead, she disgraced herself with a lecture you heard on CNN or an episode of The View.”
After Budde's speech, her background came under scrutiny as some questioned why she was given the honor of delivering the sermon.
An image of Budde's church, St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church, circulated on social media, showing the church — which reportedly also serves as a migrant shelter — attempting to deter ICE and Homeland Security to deny access.
After the sermon went viral, an image of Budde's church — which reportedly doubles as a migrant shelter — showed the property's attempts to deny entry to ICE and Homeland Security
In 2020, Budde also lashed out at Trump visiting St. John's Church near the White House after police dispersed protesters
She is known to champion left-wing causes through her ministry, and on her diocesan website she boasts that she is “an advocate and organizer in support of justice issues, including racial equality, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, and full LGBTQ+ inclusion persons. , and the care of creation.'
She also has a long history of criticizing President Trump during his first term.
That included after he stood next to an Episcopal church with a Bible in his hand after chasing protesters away from Lafayette Square near the White House during the Black Lives Matter protests.
She said at the time that Trump's actions were “contrary to the teachings of Jesus and everything we stand for as a church.”
She also condemned Trump while attending an outdoor Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, wearing a mask during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have given up talking to President Trump. We must replace President Trump,” she said at the time.
