Former U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde following her remarks during a National Prayer Service on Tuesday.
Bishop Budde urged Trump to show compassion toward immigrants and LGBT+ individuals, calling for mercy and support for vulnerable groups.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump referred to the bishop as “nasty,” a term he has often used in criticism, particularly against women. He accused her of politicising the church and making unfounded remarks, stating: “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard-line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.”
Trump went on to criticise her for not addressing what he described as a “crime wave” caused by undocumented immigrants, adding, “She and her church owe the public an apology!”
During the service at Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral, Bishop Budde made an emotional appeal to Trump to reconsider policies that target marginalised communities.
Her remarks came before Trump signed executive orders ending birthright citizenship and removing federal recognition of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex individuals.
In her address, Budde highlighted the fears faced by LGBT+ children and immigrant families:
“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families—some who fear for their lives. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”
