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.

The bishop asked President Trump publicly to “have mercy,” electrifying some liberal churchgoers in an era dominated by conservative versions of Christianity.

If you know what people are thinking about when they’re coming into church on Sunday morning, it’s very important to acknowledge that,” Budde says.

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.

Rev. Mariann Budde the Episcopal Bishop of Washington defended a plea for mercy she made to President Donald Trump on behalf of immigrants and others during an inaugural prayer service a day before.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde isn’t afraid to speak truth to power. Unlike almost everyone else in President Donald Trump’s orbit these days. And she has no plans to apologize for asking Trump to show mercy on the people he has terrorized in his first days back in power.

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

Explore how Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde champions inclusivity, compassion, and justice through her leadership in the Episcopal Church.

Like every woman who offends President Trump, Mariann Edgar Budde, so-called Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. “In the name of our God,” she said,