Trump demands an apology from bishop who asked him to have “mercy” for LGBTQ+ people and migrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington after she directly appealed to him during a prayer service accompanying his inauguration to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and workers. migrants who are in the United States illegally.

Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from murder, the Rev. Mariann Budde said: “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are now scared.”

When he returned to the White House, Trump said: “I don’t think it was a good service. “They could have done a lot better.”

But later, in a post he made on his social network, he harshly criticized the “so-called bishop” as a “hardline Trump hater from the radical left.”

“He brought his church into the world of politics in a very rude way. “It was unpleasant in tone, and it was not convincing or intelligent,” Trump said, adding that Budde did not mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people.

“Aside from his inappropriate statements, the service was very boring and uninspiring. “She’s not very good at her job!” Trump said. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”

A cathedral spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Wednesday.

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders revoking the rights of transgender people and tightening immigration policies.

The service at Washington National Cathedral focused primarily on national unity. Trump and Vice President JD Vance and their families attended, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

In his sermon, Budde said they gathered “to pray for unity as a people and a nation, not by agreement, political or otherwise, but for the kind of unity that fosters community through diversity and division.”

He added: “Unity is not partisan.”

Evangelicals were at the service, but not in the program

More than a dozen religious leaders spoke during the interfaith service, including representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faiths.

However, one notable absence among the clergy invited with speaking roles were conservative evangelicals, who are among Trump’s strongest supporters.

However, some of those evangelical supporters were sitting in the pews.

Robert Jeffress, a longtime Trump supporter and pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, was present, as were Paula White-Cain, a televangelist and chief spiritual advisor during Trump’s first term, and Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor of 180 Church of Detroit, who gave a powerful blessing at Monday’s inauguration.

A new type of interfaith endowment service

Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official interfaith inauguration services for presidents of both parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.

The last service had a different emphasis than the previous ones. Their focus was on the nation rather than the new government — a plan made before Election Day.

“We are at a unique moment in our country’s history, and it is time to approach this differently,” the Most Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the Episcopal cathedral, said in a statement in October.

“This will be a service to all Americans, to the well-being of our nation, to our democracy.”

The texts and songs revolved around themes of compassion and togetherness, including a reading from Deuteronomy 10:17-21, which speaks of caring for orphans and widows and all those in need.

Inauguration sermons are usually delivered by clerics sympathetic to the incoming government. In 2021, the Rev. William Barber, a progressive civil rights leader, preached before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, at the cathedral.

Budde, who gave this year’s sermon, has joined other cathedral leaders in previously criticizing Trump, rebuking his “racialized rhetoric” and blaming him for inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the US Capitol in an attempt to keep him in power.

Budde was “outraged” in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.

His sermon directed at Trump on Tuesday sparked a lively reaction on social media. Austen Ivereigh, a biographer of Pope Francis, wrote in X that the bishop “told the truth” when she spoke with Trump and Vance. “His expressions of fury and discomfort suggest he got it right,” Ivereigh said.

Jeffress, on the other hand, posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and that “there was palpable disgust in the audience with his words.”

Music made for Trump

The only part of Tuesday’s service that seemed tailor-made for Trump was the inclusion of operatic tenor Christopher Macchio, who also sang the national anthem at the inauguration ceremony.

The tenor sang “Ave Maria,” one of Trump’s favorite religious songs and one Macchio sang at a Trump rally and at the Republican National Convention.

Before the service began, Macchio performed hymns such as “How Great Is He” and another Trump favorite, “Hallelujah,” written by Leonard Cohen.

As the prayer service neared its end, Trump joined others in singing “America the Beautiful.”

Trump also thanked many of the clergy who participated as they walked past him, except for Budde, whom he ignored.

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Associated Press religion coverage is supported through AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.