The people who are in danger are the people who fear for their lives and their livelihoods,’ Budde said in an interview. ‘That’s where the focus should be.’

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,

She also addressed Trump directly while he sat with his wife and the newly appointed vice president, wearing a red tie in the pew next to them.

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

In a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump described the bishop as a “Radical Left hard-line Trump hater” adding that “she brought her church into the World of politics in a ve

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.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and their families were in attendance at the prayer service on Tuesday.

Mariann Budde, 65, is the Episcopalian bishop who confronted Trump during the National Prayer Service. Trump and Vice President JD Vance were in attendance as part of their first full day in the Oval Office.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde instantly became a topic of national conversation after issuing a heartfelt plea directly to President Donald Trump during a sermon one day after inauguration day. Here’s what to know about the Episcopalian Bishop, the prayer service, and the reaction.

"The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for an apology from Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde after she made a direct appeal to him for “mercy” toward LGBT-identified Americans and illegal immigrants during an inaugural prayer service.