6 Months After Contentious Prayer Service, DC Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde Would Welcome Presidential Invite

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde made headlines last January when, at a prayer service in Washington's National Cathedral following Donald Trump's inaugural, she addressed the President directly about LGBTQ+ issues. "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," she told Trump, who was sitting in the front row. "There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives."

She went on to include undocumented residents, saying, "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, and temples."

Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance looked unhappy and distracted during her sermon. At one point, Trump was seen with his eyes closed. He told reporters afterward that "they could do much better," and it "wasn't a good service." Later on Truth Social, he called Budde a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater," and described her remarks as "nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart." He accused her of bringing "her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way," and demanded an apology from her and the cathedral. He further criticized the service as "boring and uninspiring," and added "She is not very good at her job!"

In a recent interview with USA Today in conjunction with Pride Month, Budde addressed the controversy, saying she would welcome a conversation with the President. "To further the good of what we need to do, I would welcome it. In my work you respect the dignity of every human being and try to listen to find whatever ground you can upon which to build something together. ... I would never shut the door on a real conversation."

She continued on, to say that she is not partisan and would welcome an invitation with an "open heart."

As for Trump's wanting an apology, Butte said: "I'm human. I'm constantly second-guessing myself. Could I've done something better? Could I have said it better? Could I have built a bridge? I couldn't bring myself to apologize for what I felt was the gospel. I was very much in my lane as a spiritual leader in a spiritual context, speaking about what we need in our country if we truly are to be united."

And while she received many negative comments, she focused more on those that thanked her for her comments.

"The remarkable thing about my two or three sentences in that inaugural prayer service about compassion and respecting all people is the response that it got,'' said Budde, noting she received boxes of thank-you letters. "That says to me, 'OK, this is who we are. These are the values that we want to stand for and that's who we are as a church, that's who I am as a bishop, that's who my fellow Christians are in the denomination I serve. I'm really proud.'''