Bishop Budde locked eyes with President Trump and made a plea for mercy — and the war over spiritual authority in America was ignited anew.

Budde spent 18 years as a rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. She asked the president to reconsider his policies on LGBTQ folks, immigrants.

President Trump early Wednesday morning slammed the reverend at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration who called on him to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant

The first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, Bishop Budde had a message for President Trump during his first term, too.

President Donald Trump, from left, watches as Rev. Mariann Budde arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump,

Rep. Mike Collins heavily criticized statements made by the Right Rev. Mariann Budde on Tuesday at the inaugural prayer service held for President Trump.

Trump rolled out a blueprint to beef up security at the southern border in a series of executive orders that began taking effect soon after his inauguration Monday, making good on his defining political promise to crack down on immigration and marking another wild swing in White House policy on the divisive issue.

Bishop Mariann Budde led a service on Trump’s second day in office and told him people feared his executive order. He said her sermon was “not too exciting”.

Donald Trump reacts to Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's sermon, calling it 'nasty' amid ongoing debates on LGBTQ+ rights and immigration policies.- Watch Video on English Oneindia

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Bishop Mariann Budde about her homily Tuesday, where she made a plea directly to President Donald Trump.

Reacting to the controversy, the bishop said her message was politicized but it was kind of a given that her message would be politicized, she said. "I think if you read what I said, I mean how could it not be politicized,

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called on President Trump to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant families at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration Tuesday, which went viral and prompted the president to call her “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.