"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."

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.

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

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,

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

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

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde drew President Trump’s ire Wednesday morning after she used a National Catheral prayer service to issue a call for mercy against members of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.

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.

( The Hill) — 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.”

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.

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.