Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called on President Trump to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant families at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration Tuesday, which went viral and prompted the president to call her “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.

Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, is a prominent religious leader who advocates for social justice issues, including immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.

President Donald Trump, left, watches as Rev. Mariann Budde, second right, arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump,

Budde said she regrets the angry reactions to her pointed request for Trump to show mercy, but added that she stands by her remarks.

The Episcopal bishop of Washington spoke with NPR to discuss her sermon addressing President Trump and why she asked him to have mercy.

President Donald Trump Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop who criticized his hardline policies on immigration and LGBTQ rights at the National Prayer Service on his first full day back in the White House.

Bishop Mariann E. Budde, of the Episcopal Church, pleaded to Donald Trump to have "mercy" on immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Washington National Cathedral Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde issued a plea to President Donald Trump during Tuesday’s inaugural prayer service following a list of executive orders targeting marginalized groups.

The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Washington, made headlines this week after she angered President Donald Trump with her sermon during an inaugural prayer service. It was not the first time the cleric has publicly disagreed with Trump,

Nothing is more Christian than protecting vulnerable immigrants. Why couldn’t Bishop Mariann Budde just say that?

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said this week that she has had “people wish me dead” after she called on President Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now” during an inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral.