President Donald Trump chastised and demanded an apology from a bishop who asked him to have mercy on immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community during an interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral.
A clip of Episcopal bishop Right Rev. Mariann Budde went viral after she asked Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," which led to the president going on a rant on his Truth Social account calling her a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater."
"The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater," he wrote. "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. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology! t."
The clip, which was shared by C-Span's X account and has more than 5 million views, shows Budde calmly pleading to the president.
"The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals," she said. "They pay taxes and are good neighbors...may I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away."
Budde is described as being “an advocate and organizer in support of justice concerns, including racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, and the care of creation,” according to her biography on the Episcopal Diocese of Washington website.
Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and signed an executive order recognizing only two genders during his first day in office on Monday (January 20).