The Episcopal bishop of Washington spoke directly to Donald Trump during a prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral.
Her message for the 47th president called for “mercy” and protections for marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ and immigrants.
"Let me make one final plea, Mr. President," said Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde began.
"Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," Budde said, turning to the president.
Budde’s sermon highlighted the struggles faced by two groups Trump’s administration regularly disparages.
“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” Budde said. She spotlighted immigrants saying “the vast majority are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.”
After the headlines of the Bishop’s words went viral, Trump responded via his Truth Social app, poting, called the Right Rev Mariann Edgar Budde a “Radical Left hard-line Trump hater” and added, “she brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.”
Trump later described the service as “boring” and “uninspiring” and said that Budde and her church “owe the public an apology!”
Bishop Budde’s words came hours after Trump signed an executive order eliminating federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary identities.
Despite the President's negative remarks, Budde doubled down on her words and expressed no regrets.
"I don't hate the president, and I pray for him," Budde said. "I don't feel there's a need to apologize for a request for mercy."
"I regret that it was something that has caused the kind of response that it has, in the sense that it actually confirmed the very thing that I was speaking of earlier, which is our tendency to jump to outrage and not speak to one another with respect," she continued.
"But no, I won't, I won't apologize for what I said."
Drag up your life with a beautifully curated box made by your favorite drag queens! Subscribe to Drag Society today.