Episcopal Bishop Chides Trump on Politics. He Pushes Back.

Mariann Edgar Budde, who holds one of the nation’s most prestigious clerical posts as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, curried controversy and drew pushback on Tuesday when she used a sermon to criticize President Donald Trump for some of his politics and policy prescriptions. 

The remarks came at a church service hosted by the bishop at her diocesan seat, the Washington National Cathedral. They were a stark contrast to the bipartisanship usually on display at the cathedral, where leaders from both parties are honored.

The church has hosted the state funerals of American presidents of both parties, including most recently Jimmy Carter’s state funeral on Jan. 9.

The prayer service after a presidential inauguration is a national tradition that Trump participated in after his first inauguration in January of 2017. 

Budde had prefaced the conclusion of her remarks by echoing Trump’s own sentiment that God had saved his life from an assassination attempt. “Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation [Monday], you have felt the providential hand of a loving God.” She then pivoted to criticisms of the new president’s signature policies. 

Budde declared, without evidence, that “there are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.” The comments came after Trump signed an executive order on Monday recognizing only two sexes—male and female. Republicans had campaigned heavily on the issue, and according to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll, 58% of Americans support requiring athletes who identify as transgender to compete on sports teams that match their biological sex, not their gender identity. 

Budde invoked God to ask Trump not to implement deportations of illegal aliens. “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.” 

“They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, [Sikh houses of worship], and temples,” Budde said.

Trump issued a variety of executive orders on Day One of his administration on Monday to protect American citizens by securing the border. The new president declared a national emergency at the southern border and designated international cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” He also ended asylum for illegal aliens who have just arrived at the southern border and reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy that requires people seeking asylum in the United States to wait for the adjudication of their claims in Mexican territory, rather than the United States. 

This is not the first time Budde has attacked Trump. She criticized the president in 2020 when law enforcement officers cleared the area around St. John’s Episcopal Church so that Trump could visit it. She declared that she was “outraged” by the use of tear gas to clear the churchyard of demonstrators. 

Trump weighed in on Tuesday’s sermon after it concluded. “Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no. Thank you very much. They could do much better,” the president told reporters.

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