President Donald Trump swiftly returned to one of his favorite White House habits—late-night social media rants.
His first target following the grandeur of Inauguration Day? The Episcopal bishop who urged him to show compassion for immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
During an interfaith service on Tuesday at Washington National Cathedral, Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde directly addressed Trump, who was seated in the congregation alongside Vice President JD Vance and their families. Budde implored the president to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
Trump later told reporters he was unimpressed by the service, remarking, “They could do much better.” Hours later, around 1 a.m., he took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to denounce Budde as a “Radical left hard line Trump hater.”
“She was nasty in tone and not compelling or smart,” Trump posted, further criticizing her remarks for failing to address what he described as “the large number of illegal immigrations that came into our Country and killed people” and “the giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA.”
However, recent reports from ABC News indicate that violent crime has significantly declined over the past three years, and studies consistently show that undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens.
Despite the data, Trump lambasted Budde for bringing “politics into her church in a very ungracious way” and deemed the service “boring and uninspiring.” He concluded his post by demanding an apology from Budde and her church.
Trump, who was confirmed in a Presbyterian church during his childhood, has in recent years identified as a non-denominational Christian.
Budde, known for her advocacy on issues such as racial equity, gun violence prevention, and immigration reform, later appeared on CNN to explain her remarks. She noted that Trump “feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do,” adding that her intention was to remind him of the need for “broader compassion.”