The bishop who drew the ire of Donald Trump after imploring him to show 'mercy' to LGBTQ+ people and illegal migrants previously slammed Donald Trump for his 'divisive' rhetoric and 'immoral' leadership.
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde has long disliked the president, dating back to his first term.
Budde reignited the feud after she used a service at the National Cathedral in Washington to urge Trump to show “mercy” to LGBTQ+ people and illegal immigrants.
However, her words fell on deaf ears and the president immediately hit back at Truth Social, demanding an apology and labeling her “nasty” and “not smart.”
But resurfaced videos and articles about Budde's past comments show just how deep their rift runs.
Resurfaced videos show Budde saying in 2020 that she was “outraged” at Trump for hosting a photo opportunity outside the historic St. John's Church, across from the White House.
The president was pictured holding up a Bible after police cleared the area of Black Lives Matter protesters responding to the killing of George Floyd.
Budde said Trump had “used a Bible and one of my diocese's churches as a backdrop for a message that was contrary to the teachings of Jesus and everything our church stands for.”
“He took the symbols sacred to our tradition and stood in front of a place of worship fully expecting this to be a celebratory moment,” Budde said angrily.
She had also previously spoken out following the death of George Floyd, seen here, when she called for Trump's replacement in the summer of 2020
She further told the Washington Post that everything Trump “has said and done is fueling the violence” and accused him of divisive and immoral leadership.
Budde later said she had “given up” on talking to the president and called for Trump to be replaced.
After the 2024 election, Budde made a statement to her diocese in Washington, where she spoke about the “divisive political rhetoric” used during the season.
She called Trump's victory a “dramatic shift in power” that was “worrying and even frightening” to some members of her church.
She wrote in November 2024, “I am grateful for the consistent message of those prayers: that regardless of political affiliation and strongly held views, we are united in our commitment to follow Jesus in the way of love.
“Such love calls us to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to uphold the dignity of every human being – a tall order at any time, but even more so during a season of heated, divisive political rhetoric.
'Now the political realignment begins, in a dramatic shift in power. For some this is very good news; for others it is worrying and even frightening.
Budde added: “It will undoubtedly have a personal impact on many in our congregations and surrounding communities, across the country and around the world.
“In times of dramatic change – no matter how we feel about it – we are vulnerable to our most unhelpful tendencies and often make our biggest mistakes.”
She had also previously spoken out after the death of George Floyd, when she called for Trump to be replaced.
Budde said, “It's a message of a call for justice, for swift justice for George Floyd. For systemic justice for all brown and black people who have been under the knee of this country.
“This turnout is from people who are mostly half my age, they are the ones they should be listening to.
“I have given up talking to President Trump, we need to replace President Trump.”
She also told PBS: “There is a deep longing for the fundamental issues at stake, brought to light by the murderous death of George Floyd.
“That needs to be addressed in a systematic, fundamental way, from every police department in the country and from vigilante actions.”
During Tuesday's sermon, she told the congregation, “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some of whom fear for their lives.”
She addressed Trump directly – as he sat in a red tie on the couch next to his wife and new vice president.
“Millions have placed their trust in you, in the name of our God, I ask you, have mercy on the people of our country who are now afraid.
Budde further referred to the migrant workforce in the US, who clean restaurant kitchens and pick crops.
She urged the new president: “They may not be citizens or have the proper paperwork, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.”
Trump did not respond and looked on wearily after a full day and night of inauguration festivities. Other members of the congregation looked uneasy.
After the sermon, Budde appeared on CNN, seen here, and said she used the service to go after Trump
After the sermon, Trump spoke to reporters and briefly said he thought Budde “could have done a lot better.”
That was hours before a middle-of-the-night Truth Social post in which he let go of the bishop.
“The so-called bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a radical left hardline Trump hater,” the president wrote.
'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.”
His message came after Budde admitted live on CNN that she had used the National Prayer Service to berate Trump.
She told the outlet, “(I was) reminding all of us that the people of our country are afraid.
“The two groups I mentioned are our fellow human beings, and they have been portrayed in the harshest light throughout the entire political campaign.
“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.”
The bishop, who proudly uses her pronouns in her Instagram biography, is also pro-gay marriage and previously donated to Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
In a piece for the Washington Post in 2011, after being installed as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, she was described as “unapologetically liberal.”
Then she told the newspaper: 'I am in favor of gay marriage, always have been. It's a no-brainer at this point.”
The diocese's website claims she is an advocate for racial equality, gun violence prevention, immigration reform and inclusivity.
Budde, who is married with two adult children, had also previously overseen a conference in the diocese that called for not using gendered pronouns for God.
