President Donald Trump may credit divine intervention for narrowly escaping the path of a would-be assassin’s bullet, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to heed Jesus’ advice to “turn the other cheek” when he feels he’s been insulted.
Trump looked visibly uncomfortable during an inaugural prayer service on Tuesday morning when the Episcopal bishop of Washington, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, took aim at his administration’s hardline stances on undocumented migrants and LGBTQ2S+ issues.
“You have felt the providential hand of a loving God,” she said, referring the Trump’s belief that God saved him when a bullet nicked his ear. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.” On migrant workers she added, “they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals … I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away …”
Trump wasn’t impressed with the public dressing down.
“Not too exciting, was it?” he said as he walked with staff toward the Oval Office following the sermon. “I didn’t think it was a good service. They could do much better.”
He was more animated and angry on his Truth Social site, where he called the Bishop a “radical left hard line Trump hater,” and demanded an apology.
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way,” he posted just after midnight Wednesday morning. “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.”
“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!”
Budde appeared on CNN Tuesday morning, and admitted that she was speaking directly to Trump.
“I was looking at the president because I was speaking to him,” she said.
“I was speaking to the president because I felt he has this moment now where he feels charged and empowered to do what he feels called to do, and I wanted to say there is room for mercy.”
After being sworn in on Monday, Trump has already signed executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies.
He almost immediately terminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government and declared that the federal government would only recognize two sexes: male and female.
He also plans tough new border measures.
“I will declare a national emergency at our southern border,” he said during his inauguration speech. “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places in which they came.”
With files from The Associated Press