Trump began his first full day in office by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
During the inaugural prayer service sermon, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, Right Rev Mariann Budde, appealed directly to Donald Trump to ‘have mercy upon’ communities across the country targeted by the new administration’s immigration policies.
‘In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,’ said the bishop, talking about Trump’s promises to deport millions of illegals immigrants.
‘The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara and temples,’ Buddle said, adding: ‘Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.’
The sermon was part of an interfaith prayer service, which is a post-inauguration day tradition hosted by the Washington national cathedral.
Trump and his family did not appear happy during the remarks and dismissed the sermon as ‘not too exciting’ asked for a reaction.
After the event went viral on social media, Trump reacted again several hours later on his Truth Social platform with scathing words about Budde.
He called her a ‘so-called Bishop’ and described her as a ‘Radical Left hard-line Trump hater’ who owed the American public an apology.
Trump wrote: ‘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 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 uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!’
And judging by the reaction in the Trump camp, this is something that deeply annoyed most of them — so, it’s likely that mass deportations are indeed scheduled, Elena Gold said.
