As Bishop Marian Edgar Budde neared the end of his sermon at Tuesday's inaugural prayer service, he took a breath and looked directly at President Trump.
Bishop Budde, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, said: “Please have mercy on the people of our country who are scared right now.'' “Democrat, Republican, and Independent families have gay, lesbian, and transgender children, some of whom fear for their lives.”
The direct appeal to Trump, at the start of his first full day in office, was a notable moment. Twenty-four hours after retaking the country's highest office in a sweeping show of power by subpoenaing tech billionaires as witnesses and signing rapid-fire executive orders, he suddenly and unexpectedly faced with extraordinary acts of public resistance by the people. Source: Soft-spoken Bishop.
“The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” Bishop Budde said. “Mr. President, please show mercy to the children in our communities who fear their parents will be taken away. Please also show compassion to those fleeing conflict zones and persecution in their own lands. Headline, please help me feel welcome here.”
Mr. Trump, sitting in the front row of the towering Washington National Cathedral, looked down and then away. Vice President J.D. Vance raised his eyebrows and looked over and over at his wife, Usha Vance. She kept her gaze fixed on the bishop. After Bishop Budde finished speaking, Trump said something to Vance, who shook his head in obvious irritation. Members of the Trump family, seated directly behind them, looked at each other and appeared visibly shaken. Trump's second son, Eric Trump, shook his head.
That was not the general way Trump was spoken to upon his return to the White House. Since winning the election, he has been courted by powerful business leaders and politicians alike, some of whom he distanced himself from during his first term. Just the day before, he celebrated his return to office with an inauguration ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, a rally surrounded by supporters and a series of inaugural balls. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. also greeted Trump at the White House, saying “welcome home.”
Bishop Budde's comments came a day after Trump issued a flurry of executive orders focused on transgender rights and immigration.
When asked by a reporter what he thought about the service, the president replied, “I didn't think it was a good service, no.”
Shortly after midnight, Trump doubled down on his criticism in a post on Truth Social, demanding an apology from Bishop Budde and her church and saying she had made inappropriate comments.
“She brought her church into politics in a very unscrupulous manner,” Trump wrote. “She had a bad tone, was neither persuasive nor intelligent.”
In response to Bishop Budde's comments about immigration, Trump offered no evidence and said “a large number” of immigrants came to the United States illegally and killed people.
Bishop Budde said in an interview, “I decided to speak directly to the president because of the fear that I have seen and experienced among the people I know and love, within the immigrant community and within the LGBTQ community.” . How many people are afraid of it? ”
She said she was concerned about the “levels of cruelty that some people currently perceive to be quite cruel”.
“I wasn't necessarily calling the president. I was saying, 'This country is in your hands,'” Bishop Budde said. “And one of the qualities of a leader is compassion, right? Compassion. And caring about people who are scared.”
Bishop Budde is not the only prominent clergyman calling attention to the fear caused by Trump's policies. Pope Francis on Sunday called Trump's mass deportation plan “shameful.”
Trump on Monday announced executive actions aimed at turning campaign rhetoric into concrete policy, including rescinding a Biden administration order aimed at preventing discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. He began his appointment.
Trump's new executive order is aimed at protecting women from “gender ideological extremism” that allows biological men to violate their rights and privacy, the administration said. And the definition listed there further defines “sex” even more clearly.
Under the executive order signed by Trump on Monday, the document states that male and female are defined “at the time of conception.” According to the order, a person who ultimately produces “large reproductive cells” is considered a woman. A man would ultimately be defined as someone who “produces small reproductive cells.”
The order also states that the federal government will no longer recognize “gender identity,” but only “sex,” which is defined by “an individual's immutable biological classification as either male or female.”
The order also prohibits the use of federal funds to promote “gender ideology” through grants and other government programs, as well as the use of public funds for transition-related medical treatment in prisons.
This order effectively defines transgender Americans as excluded from existence.
“At its core, this executive order is a shockingly cruel effort to make transgender people outside the law and push them back into the closet,” said Sarah Warbrough, legal director at the Human Rights Campaign. Ta.
Trump also announced on Monday that he would suspend refugee admissions, issue several executive orders on immigration that would severely limit asylum for immigrants, and send troops to the southern border. But the border has remained relatively calm after a record number of illegal border crossings in the early days of the Biden administration.
The Trump administration also rescinded a Biden policy that directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to avoid making arrests in schools, places of worship, and other areas considered “sensitive locations.”
Throughout his campaign and during his first term, Trump often portrayed all immigrants who cross the border illegally as criminals. While sporadic crimes committed by immigrants have garnered national attention in recent years, Homeland Security officials themselves acknowledge that most people crossing the border are fleeing poverty and violence and seeking a better life. are.
“There are times when he speaks in general terms about immigration, and it feels like he's painting a picture as if all immigrants coming into this country are dangerous,” Bishop Budde said. “And I know that's not true. It's not true.”
Yang Chuan Contributed to the report.
