A bishop pleaded with newly-inaugurated US president-come-petulant child Donald Trump to “have mercy.” Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington addressed Trump, his family, and the new vice-president, J.D. Vance:
The culture of contempt that has become normalised in this country threatens to destroy us.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: on point
She continued:
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.
Trump remained stony-faced, occasionally smirking and muttering to his wife. Nevertheless, the bishop pleaded with Trump as a person of faith:
The people who pick our crops, and clean our office buildings, labour in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who was 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, gurdwaras, 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 warzones and persecution in their own land to find compassion and welcome here.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde poignantly concluded:
Our God teaches us that we ought to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.
Trump’s Meltdown
How did Trump respond to this eloquent and impassioned plea that asked for humanity and humility for the most marginalised people in America? Of course, he had a child-like meltdown and went on a rant. He posted on his own social media platform, Truth Social, that:
She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.
Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one.
Clearly, Budde’s pleas for honesty and humility didn’t move Trump who remained as belligerent as ever. Trump referred to Budde as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” exactly the type of behaviour Budde referred to with her commentary on a “culture of contempt” in America.
Mike Collins, a Republican congressman, even called for Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to be deported:
The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list. pic.twitter.com/d7a2z1CM6s
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) January 21, 2025
Budde grew up in New Jersey and Colorado – not that the likes of Collins and Trump would let being an American citizen stand in the way of trying to deport someone.
A senior fellow from the American Immigration Council expressed shock at Collins’ tweet:
A sitting member of Congress calls for the deportation of a bishop who asked Trump to show mercy to those in the country who are afraid.
We are in a dark moment in this country and have abandoned our founding principles. God have mercy on us. https://t.co/rB8FHMowJf
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) January 21, 2025
Flurry of executive orders
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s concerns were well-founded. Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders, including an insistence that federal government refer to only two sexes:
As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.
The order itself reads:
It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.
This particular executive order is a targeting of trans people, and denies the lived reality of many Americans. It will have far-ranging consequences for trans people’s use of passports, identity cards, healthcare, work opportunities, and more. As the Guardian reported:
The executive order also prevents the use of taxpayer funds for gender-affirming healthcare, and mandates that prisons are designated by sex assigned at birth, not gender identity – which means trans women could be housed in male prisons.
Executive Director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) Ricardo Martinez said:
Today’s promised executive order is a direct attack on transgender Americans, deliberately making it harder for people to live their everyday lives. It is cruel, and it is wrong.
The administration is trying to create fear and sow chaos by its statements and orders, but no executive action can change the fundamental truth that transgender people are vital members of our families and communities.
Trump’s government can expect to face robust opposition and protest from trans activists, charities, and queer allies.
Birthright citizenship
Another of the executive orders Trump has already signed seeks:
to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to immigrant parents who are in the country illegally, as well as those born to parents who are in the country on a temporary basis.
There have been reports that the administration will enforce the order by withholding documents, such as passports, from people it deems ineligible for citizenship.
Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the US constitution, which means Trump will find it very difficult to force this change through. Constitutional law expert Saikrishna Prakash said:
This is not something he can decide on his own.
Nevertheless, Trump has promised mass deportations.
Just as Trump’s first term began with the shock and awe tactics of a series of outrageous and quickly signed executive orders, his second term is off to the same start.
Trump has repeatedly shown that he doesn’t care about legal barriers, moral pleas, or even public pressure. He jumps to call anyone who doesn’t shower him with praise a “hater” and has no concept of humility.
The next four years will require more people like Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to look Trump in the eyes and call him out. Then, we must realise that appealing to his good sense or humanity simply will not work; he won’t care. We must learn our lessons from his first term and organise in our communities to fight back against his regressive policies.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot/CNN
