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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 lip reading expert has managed to decipher the conversations they had while Bishop Mariann Budde was preaching.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves,” says a passage from the Bible. These words were written thousands of years ago but are applicable today.

A TikTok user recently pointed out how Donald Trump eerily recreated a historical moment involving Croatian dictator Ante Pavelić following the National Prayer Service. Trump attended a service at the Washington National Cathedral as part of his inauguration ceremony.