(NewsNation) — Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said she spoke from the “foundation of her faith” and not a political perspective when she called upon President Donald Trump to have mercy for vulnerable communities during her inauguration sermon last week.
“I spoke to the president about the need for mercy, again a pretty solid Christian spiritual tenant … it feels pretty straightforward,” Budde told NewsNation’s partner The Hill. “If I were seen as partisan, I think that would be problematic, but given the way the country is divided, what I’m saying right now is perceived as partisan.
“But I’m not basing it on the Democratic Party. I’m basing it on my Christian faith and how I interpret what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.”
Who is Rev. Mariann Budde, bishop who drew Trump’s ire at prayer service?
The Episcopalian bishop of Washington was thrust into the national spotlight during Trump’s first week in office after she called on him to have compassion for transgender children and migrants at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration.
“I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” she said. “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
Trump, who sat alongside Vice President JD Vance and both their families, appeared annoyed, looking away from Budde at several points of her direct address to him.
Her plea went viral and elicited a swift rebuke from the president, who called her “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.”
Trump called Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” on his Truth Social site and demanded an apology for “her inappropriate statements.”
Trump demands apology from bishop who requested ‘mercy’
But Budde said she has nothing to apologize for.
“People have asked if I feel like I should apologize, and that would be apologizing for my understanding of the teachings of Jesus, and I just can’t do that. … I regret the reaction in the sense that it’s an example of the very thing I was talking, that we needed to address … which is the culture of contempt and the outrage that is fueled in our country.”
Budde, who is Washington’s first female diocesan bishop, is no novice in calling out Trump.
The bishop joined other cathedral leaders in rebuking Trump’s “racialized rhetoric” and blaming him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.
Most notably, she said she was “outraged” in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.
Still, she says she would be open to a conversation with Trump to discuss their opposing opinions.
” I would welcome that. I don’t think I want to do it on a social media platform. I think face to face.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
