Bishop who asked Trump for ‘mercy’ for LGBTQ+ folks to give Christmas message on BBC

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who was called “nasty” by US president Donald Trump for asking for “mercy” for LGBTQ+ folks and immigrants, will deliver a Christmas message on the BBC.

Budde, who has been the Bishop of Washington since 2011, is set to broadcast a Christmas meditation on BBC Radio 4 on Boxing Day morning, at 12.15am (UK time).

It is described as a “reflection on the meaning of Christmas” and in the meditation Budde “reflects on the past year, her trust in God and her hope for all in times of challenge and division”.

Budde was thrust into the limelight when she spoke during Trump’s inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral back in January, which was attended by the president, his wife first lady Melania Trump, vice president JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance. 

“Let me make one final plea 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. 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 said at the time.

“And the people – 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 – 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 neighbours.

“They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.” 

Budde concluded: “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honour the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen.”

In response, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to demand an apology from the religious leader.

“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,” the president raved.

He continued: “She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. 

“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 [an] uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” 

Trump also told The Hill and other outlets that he found Budde’s sermon “not too exciting” and that “they could do much better”.

Budde was subsequently interviewed on CNN about her speech, which went viral, and she said she “wanted to say there is room for mercy” and “there is room for a broader compassion”.

“[I was] reminding us all that the people that are frightened in our country, the two groups that I mentioned, are our fellow human beings, and that they have been portrayed all throughout the political campaign in the harshest of lights,” Budde told the outlet.

“I wanted to counter, as gently as I could, with a reminder of their humanity and their place in our wider community.”