Rev. Mariann Budde leads the national prayer service attended by President Donald Trump at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
What did Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde say in her sermon that was wrong? At the Washington National Cathedral, the Bishop pleaded for three things: She asked for dignity, honesty, and humility. She accurately pointed out that certain groups of people in this country are scared. People that work hard everyday doing jobs that many Americans don’t want to do. People that are struggling with their sexuality. Human beings that few of us understand.
The problem for Reverend Budde, is she said it to the most powerful man in the world, President Donald Trump. Bishop Budde asked, and I do mean asked, for the President to understand how scared these people are. The problem for the Bishop, and most importantly, these groups of people, is that Donald Trump doesn’t care. The people she was trying to help are expendable in his eyes. In fact, Trump has already expended them.
The main reason this seems like such a defining moment is that she had the courage to say it right to his face. She looked him in the eye and spoke the truth with her sermon. In a respectful way, she had the courage to do what few are able to do. She seized the opportunity to make Trump listen, and made him feel powerless for a moment.
Trump supporters couldn’t stand it. They couldn’t believe that someone would talk to their savior that way. So they’ve gone back to doing what they do best: Attack her and the church, because that’s what they were instructed to do. They’re making sure everyone knows what she did was strictly done out of politics.
The problem this time, is that they were only talking to themselves. Americans do still respect people of the cloth. We may not agree with everything they say, but we sure as hell won’t tear them down for saying it.
So where does Trump go from here? His second term hasn’t started the way he had thought. His calls for her to apologize have and will continue to go unanswered. Social media isn’t talking about these people as though they’re evil. The Republican Congressional members that have been calling for her to get deported look like idiots, and the news can’t get enough.
The only good that’s come out of this for Trump is he’ll finally get to do what he’s always wanted to do.
Not go to church.
Good riding with you,
Joel
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