The “woke” leftist Episcopalian bishop who used her pulpit earlier this week to lecture President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance about their immigration and LGBTQ policies is now embroiled in a new scandal of her own making.
During her sermon at the Washington National Cathedral with Trump and Vance and their families in attendance, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde implored both leaders to “have mercy” on various liberal Democratic causes like illegal migrants and biological males competing in female sporting events.
At various points during the sermon — which felt more like a lecture — Trump and Vance both appeared visibly unimpressed and displayed as much with various looks and expressions.
“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. 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 at one point.
“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, 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,” Budde continued during the Monday sermon.
WATCH:
President Trump and VP Vance and families aren't having it with lefty Episcopalian 'bishop' and Democrat donor lecturing them about the policies a majority of Americans voted for. pic.twitter.com/gLSm0XTiNE
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) January 23, 2025
Budde was widely criticized for her remarks on social media, but in a subsequent interview on CNN, she doubled down when speaking to host Erin Burnett.
“I was looking at the President because I was speaking directly to him. I was also, frankly as you do in every sermon, speaking to everyone who was listening through that one-on-one conversation with the President, reminding us all that the people that are frightened in our country, the two groups of people that I mentioned, are our fellow human beings,” Budde said Wednesday.
Budde continued, “I wanted to counter as gently as I could with a reminder of their humanity and their place in our wider community. And I was speaking to the president because I felt that he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do. And I wanted to say, you know, there is room for mercy.”
When asked what made her decide to make such remarks, Budde told Burnett, “These are the people that I know. These are not abstract people for me. These are actual people that I know. So I wanted to speak on their behalf.”
Despite her claim that her message is not overtly political, Budde has a background in left-wing activism. Reporter Charlie Spiering notes that Budde is not only a religious leader but also a political activist, as she was a donor to former President Barack Obama.
Financial records indicate that Budde contributed $250 to the Obama for America campaign in 2012, with a total of $290 year-to-date. This donation was recorded under her occupation as clergy for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.
Amos, her son, is also a left-wing political activist. He collaborates with a former head of Obama’s campaign team and contributes to George Soros’ Swing Left PAC, according to Paul Sperry, a senior reporter at Real Clear Politics.
BREAKING: The eldest son of the Rev. Mariann Budd who scolded Trump at the national prayer service not to harm gays, transgenders, Muslims & illegal aliens, works for the former head of BARACK OBAMA's campaign tech team in Chicago. Amos Budde contributes to Soros' Swing Left PAC. pic.twitter.com/Guht29Nywr
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) January 22, 2025
Trump also addressed Budde’s remarks during her sermon on his Truth Social platform.
“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Wednesday. “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.”
“She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA,” Trump added.