• Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde used her sermon at the National Prayer Service to critique President Trump’s policies towards illegal immigrants and LGBTQ individuals.
• Budde’s sermon was seen as a politicization of a sacred event, drawing criticism from conservatives and the president himself.
• President Trump responded by calling Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” and criticized her sermon as “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.”
• This incident is part of a larger trend of religious leaders using their platforms to advance political agendas, leading to concerns about the politicization of faith.
• The sermon was viewed as a divisive act that further erodes the trust between religious leaders and their congregations.

In what was supposed to be a solemn and unifying moment of prayer and reflection, the National Prayer Service on Tuesday devolved into a platform for political grandstanding. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, used her position to deliver a thinly veiled critique of President Donald Trump, pleading for “mercy” on illegal immigrants and LGBTQ individuals. Her sermon, which many have labeled as a blatant politicization of a sacred event, has drawn sharp condemnation from conservatives and even the president himself.

A sermon or a soapbox?

As President Trump and Vice President JD Vance sat in the front pew of the Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Budde seized the opportunity to lecture the president on his policies. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” she declared, her words dripping with moral superiority.

Budde went on to highlight the plight of LGBTQ children, claiming that some “fear for their lives,” and then turned her attention to illegal immigrants, asserting that “the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.” She painted a picture of hardworking individuals who “pick our crops, clean our office buildings and work the night shifts in hospitals,” conveniently omitting the fact that their presence in the country is a violation of federal law.

Her sermon was not a call for unity or spiritual reflection but a calculated attempt to shame the president and advance a progressive agenda. When asked by TIME if she would apologize for her remarks, Budde defiantly replied, “I am not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.”

Trump fires back

President Trump, never one to shy away from a fight, did not mince words in his response. On Truth Social, he called Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” and accused her of bringing “her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.” He criticized her sermon as “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart,” adding that she “failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people.”

Trump’s frustration was palpable. “She and her church owe the public an apology!” he concluded.

Budde’s response to Trump’s criticism was equally dismissive. “That is for other people to judge, and so he is certainly entitled to his opinion,” she told TIME. Her refusal to acknowledge the inappropriateness of her actions only underscores the growing divide between the church and its role in public life.

A pattern of partisanship

This is not the first time Bishop Budde has used her position to attack Trump. In 2020, during the George Floyd protests, she accused Trump of “inflaming violence” and suggested that the country needed to “replace” him. Her partisan leanings are well-documented; she donated to Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012 and has been described by the Washington Post as “unapologetically liberal.”

Budde’s latest sermon is part of a troubling trend of religious leaders using their platforms to advance political agendas. The National Prayer Service, a tradition meant to bring the nation together in a moment of unity, was instead hijacked by a bishop with a clear axe to grind.

The danger of politicizing faith

The backlash against Budde’s sermon highlights a growing concern among conservatives: the politicization of faith. Churches and religious leaders are increasingly being used as vehicles for progressive activism, alienating those who seek spiritual guidance rather than political indoctrination.

Budde’s insistence that her sermon was “pretty mild” and “as respectful and as universal as I could” rings hollow. Her words were not a call for compassion but a direct challenge to the president’s policies, delivered in a setting where such discourse has no place.

As the nation grapples with deep political divisions, the last thing people need is for their places of worship to become battlegrounds for partisan warfare. Bishop Budde’s actions serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of conflating faith with politics.

In the end, her sermon was not a prayer for unity but a divisive act that further erodes the sacred trust between religious leaders and their congregations. For that, she owes not just President Trump but the American people an apology.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

Time.com

NYPost.com