Bishop Rebukes Trump at Prayer Service on Transgender Issues, Sparking Controversy

An Episcopal priest's public admonition of President Trump on immigration and transgender issues highlights a clash of worldviews and, according to the President's defenders, signifies the decline of a fading branch of Christianity. The comments from the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, came Tuesday during an interfaith service at the National Cathedral with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in attendance and scores of viewers watching on television.

A clip of her comments went viral on social media.

"Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God," she said, directing her words at Trump. "In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families -- some who fear for their lives."

Budde then turned to the issue of immigration.

"And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals," she said. "They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors."

Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said the bishop's comments represent the positions of the Episcopal Church. 

"Many on the Left will simply refer to this in the language of the '60s as speaking truth to power, but what we actually witness there is liberal, very liberal, Episcopalianism running into a headlong collision with President Trump and the Trump administration," Mohler said on his podcast, The Briefing.

"What she addressed to the president was basically the voice of liberal culture," Mohler said. "... When you have liberal theology, it leads to a liberal understanding of everything, including gender and sexuality. But you also have to work the logic the other way. When you are confronted by the view on, say, sexuality and gender held by this Episcopal bishop, you have to know that that is based upon a prior revolution towards theological liberalism. All of this, of course, goes back to doctrines as fundamental as the doctrine of God and the doctrine of Scripture. Everything else after that simply follows. Liberal at the start, you'll be liberal at the end, and at every point liberal in the middle."

Brit Hume of Fox News also criticized the bishop's words. 

"She doubtless thought she was 'speaking truth to power,'" Hume said. "She was almost certainly chasing more people out of the dying Episcopal church. I went to school on those grounds and graduated in a ceremony in that cathedral. I hate to see this."

She doubtless thought she was "speaking truth to power." She was almost certainly chasing more people out of the dying Episcopal church. I went to school on those grounds and graduated in a ceremony in that cathedral. I hate to see this. https://t.co/WFMFFOj8Cy

— Brit Hume (@brithume) January 21, 2025

The Episcopal Church has experienced a significant decline in membership, dropping from approximately 3.4 million members in the 1960s to under 1.6 million in recent years.

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) also denounced the bishop's comments. 

"As a conservative Episcopalian who supports President Trump and his agenda, I am profoundly disappointed that Bishop Mariann Budde politicized today's inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation," Barr said. "By disregarding President Trump's appointment of Scott Bessent, a brilliant, openly gay man, to serve as Treasury Secretary, and Elon Musk, a genius, first-generation legal immigrant to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, Bishop Budde's gratuitous criticisms ring hollow. Sadly, the only message Bishop Budde delivered through her unwelcoming and hypocritical words to the President was that the Episcopal Church's motto of 'All are Welcome' apparently doesn't apply to the majority of Americans who voted for Donald Trump." 

As a conservative Episcopalian who supports President Trump and his agenda, I am profoundly disappointed that Bishop Mariann Budde politicized today’s inaugural Service of Prayer for the Nation. By disregarding President Trump’s appointment of Scott Bessent, a brilliant, openly…

— Congressman Andy Barr (@RepAndyBarr) January 22, 2025

Trump, on Truth Social, said the bishop should apologize. 

"She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people," Trump wrote. "Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!"

The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 22, 2025

On Monday, Trump signed executive orders on immigration and gender. The gender executive order says plainly: "It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female." 

Photo Credit: ©X/CSPAN

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Originally published January 22, 2025.