A left-leaning bishop from Washington, DC, who criticized President Trump over social justice issues during the National Prayer Service on Tuesday, reaffirmed her stance on Wednesday. She stated that she was simply trying to express a truth she believed needed to be heard.
“How could it not be politicized? We’re in a hyperpolitical climate,” remarked Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde during her appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday. She explained that she often warns about the “culture of contempt,” where people hastily judge others based on their statements.
“I was trying to speak a truth that I felt needed to be said, but to do it in as respectful and kind a way as I could, and also to bring other voices into the conversation that had not been heard for some time,” she continued.
At the prayer service in Washington — a service that traditionally steers clear of political discussions — Budde used the occasion to speak out on various left-wing issues, including immigration, refugees, and LGBTQ rights. At one point, she even looked directly at Trump, who was seated nearby.
She spoke about the “gay, lesbian and transgender children” who are living in fear for their lives, and urged Trump, who remained silent as she spoke, to “have mercy” on immigrant families whose children fear the deportation of their parents.
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Trump responded to Budde’s comments with a post on his Truth Social account, calling the DC bishop “nasty” and “a Radical Left hard line Trump hater.” He accused her of bringing politics into her religious role in a manner that was “not compelling or smart.”
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way,” Trump wrote, adding that her remarks were not persuasive or intelligent.
The president even demanded a public apology from Budde and her church. However, when asked about this request during the program, Budde chose not to address it.
Later on Tuesday, Budde clarified that her sermon had been intended as a “one-on-one conversation with the president.”
In an interview with CNN, Budde explained, “I was speaking to the president because I felt he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say there is room for mercy.”
On “The View,” she emphasized, “My responsibility that morning was to pray with the nation for unity. I wanted to emphasize respecting basic honesty and humility.”
Despite drawing Trump’s criticism, Budde said she would be open to meeting with him one-on-one, should he extend an invitation.
“I would welcome the opportunity. I have no idea how that would go, but I can assure him and everyone listening that I would be as respectful as I would with any person,” she said on “The View.”
Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, DC, expressed that she holds the office of the president in high regard. However, she stated that any invitation to meet would need to come from Trump himself.
{Matzav.com}