11/06/2025
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's powerful words to Donald Trump have taken on new significance in recent days and weeks in the face of Trump's aggressive crackdown on immigrant workers and communities around the country. During the inaugural prayer service in January, Bishop Budde embraced the long and honored tradition of speaking truth to power when she addressed Trump directly with the following appeal:
“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...
The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking 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 neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara, and temples.
I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear 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. 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 honor 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, the good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen.”
Following her sermon, Trump denounced the Bishop on social media calling her a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater" and stating that she "was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart." He then demanded an apology. His supporters went on to rabidly attack Budde online and in interviews with one Republican Representative, Mike Collins of Georgia, calling for the New Jersey native to "be added to the deportation list.”
Budde, who asserted that she will "not apologize for asking for mercy for others," said that she was not surprised by the vitriolic reaction, although, she reflected, "people have said they do wish me dead, and that’s a little heartbreaking.” She believes that this extreme reaction to what she described as "a pretty mild sermon" is part of the "culture of contempt in which we live that immediately rushes to the worst possible interpretations of what people are saying."
"I think it's all of us, you know," she went on to observe. "I think it's not about me. It's about the kind of country we are called to be. And that's what I did my best to try and speak to, to present an alternative to the culture of contempt, and to say that we can bring multiple perspectives into a common space and do so with dignity and respect. And that we need that, and the culture of contempt is threatening to destroy us. And I'm getting a little bit of a taste of that this week."
As to how she was doing in the face of such widespread vitriol, Budde reflected, "I have a lot of people who are supporting me. The people we should be worrying about are not the bishop of the diocese of Washington. There are a lot of other people whose lives are in much more vulnerable and precarious states. Every day something new is happening that gives us cause for concern.”
To read more of her wise words, Bishop Budde is the author of "How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith" at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780593539217 (Bookshop) and https://amzn.to/40GpHtM (Amazon)
For children's books that encourage empathy and understanding of Mighty Girl immigrants of the past and present, visit our blog post, "A New Land, A New Life: 25 Mighty Girl Books About the Immigrant Experience" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12855
For books for children and teens about the importance of showing compassion and standing up for others, check out our blog post "60 Mighty Girl Books About Standing Up for Others" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13481
To inspire children and teens with the true stories of women who stood up for women's rights and the rights of others throughout history, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364
For two excellent resources to help tween and teen girls learn how to assert themselves with confidence and let their voices be heard, we highly recommend "A Smart Girl’s Guide to Knowing What to Say" for ages 9 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/a-smart-girl-s-guide-to-knowing-what-to-say) and "Express Yourself: A Teen Girl's Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/express-yourself-guide)
For more inspiring stories of pioneering girls and women throughout history, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter
