Trump: Not too exciting, not good service; Bishop Attack on Trump During National Prayer Service

The National Prayer Service Tradition

The National Prayer Service tradition:

Held morning after every inauguration since 1933
Interfaith ceremony
Washington National Cathedral venue
Typically apolitical
Religious leaders representing various faiths
New President and family attend

The 2025 service context:

January 21, 2025
Morning after Trump inauguration
Trump and family present
Cabinet members attending
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde leading
Traditional format

Bishop Budde

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde:

Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Washington National Cathedral leadership
Progressive theological framework
2020 conflict with first-term Trump
Known for political engagement
LGBTQ+ advocate

Budde previously clashed with Trump in June 2020 when Trump held a Bible outside St. John’s Church after Lafayette Square clearing. Budde criticized Trump publicly.

The Plea

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President.”

Budde’s framing:

Direct address to Trump
“Final plea” elevation
Personal appeal
Sermon format

“Millions have put their trust in you.”

Acknowledging Trump’s electoral mandate.

“And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God.”

Citing Trump’s inaugural framework:

Providential hand reference
Loving God
Trump’s personal faith
Religious framework activated

“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country.”

The core request — mercy.

“We’re scared now.”

The emotional framework:

Americans scared
Trump policies feared
Personal vulnerability
Emotional appeal

LGBTQ+ Reference

“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families. Some who fear for their lives.”

Budde’s LGBTQ+ reference:

Children framework
Political cross-section
Fear of physical harm
Suicide implications
Vulnerability claim

The reaction context:

Trump’s executive orders on gender
Women’s sports protection
Gender ideology removal from military
Schools parental notification
Pediatric transition framework

Immigrant Workers

“And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, labor and poultry farms, and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals.”

Budde’s workers framework:

Crop pickers (agriculture)
Office cleaners (service)
Poultry farms (agriculture)
Meat packing plants (food)
Restaurant dishwashers (service)
Hospital night shift (service)

The implicit framework:

Essential workers
Low-wage positions
Americans dependent on
Yet vulnerable legally

“They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation.”

Acknowledging illegal status:

Not citizens
Not properly documented
Yet essential workers
Trump policy targets

“But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.”

Budde’s framework:

Not criminals (majority)
Pay taxes (contribute)
Good neighbors (community)
Deserving protection

Religious Framework

“They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, Wadara, and temples.”

Budde listing religious spaces:

Christian churches
Muslim mosques
Jewish synagogues
Hindu/Buddhist temples
Gurdwaras (Sikh)

“I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”

Deportation fear:

Family separation
Children’s fears
Parents taken away
Community disruption
Emotional framework

War Zone Refugees

“And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”

Refugee framework:

Fleeing war zones
Facing persecution
Need compassion
Deserving welcome
American tradition

Biblical Framework

“Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger. For we will all want strangers in this land.”

Budde’s biblical citation:

Merciful to stranger (Deuteronomy 10:19)
“We were all strangers” (common biblical theme)
Mercy obligation
Religious framework for policy

“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 to walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, for the good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen.”

The closing:

Dignity framework
Truth in love
Walking humbly
Good of all people

Trump’s Reaction

“What did you think of the service? What did you think of the service? What did you think?”

Reporters asking Trump immediately after service.

“Did you like it? Did you find it exciting? Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no.”

Trump’s blunt honest framework:

Not exciting
Not good service
Direct critique
No diplomatic cover

“Thank you very much. Thank you, press. Thank you, press.”

Moving past the question.

”They Can Do Much Better”

“They can do much better. Thank you, press. Inside, inside. Thank you. Thank you, press. Thank you, press. Inside, inside. Thank you. Thank you.”

Trump:

Cathedral can improve
Service quality critique
Moving to next event
Dismissive response

Political Framework

Budde’s sermon violated traditional:

Apolitical inauguration framework
Religious leader neutrality
Interfaith ceremony norm
Post-election unity

Budde’s choice:

Deliberate political intervention
Policy critique in religious framework
Trump directly addressed
National television audience
Lasting reputation shaped

Media Response

The media coverage:

Liberal press: Budde as courageous
Conservative press: Inappropriate political intervention
Social media division
Viral moment generated
Legacy debate

Evangelical Response

Evangelical and conservative Christian response:

Budde using sermon for politics inappropriate
Episcopal Church political framework acknowledged
Religious left vs religious right
Biblical mercy framework contested

Conservative Theological Framework

The conservative theological response:

Mercy for illegal immigrants does not preclude law enforcement
Biblical mercy for strangers applies to legal process
LGBTQ+ framework separate from Christianity traditional teaching
Budde’s interpretation questioned
Episcopal vs Evangelical divergence

Trump’s Honest Response

Trump’s reaction — “not good service,” “they can do much better” — avoided detailed theological engagement while dismissing the sermon’s quality. The framework:

Trump not pretending
Honest assessment
Avoiding political fight with Bishop
Moving past the moment
Not elevating opponent

Long-term Impact

The Bishop Budde incident:

Viral moment generated
Budde’s reputation in progressive circles elevated
Trump’s base reinforced (hostile religious establishment)
Episcopal Church politicization debate
Future inauguration services reconsidered

Budde’s subsequent:

Interview circuit
Progressive celebration
Trump counter-messaging
Congressional responses

Significance

The Bishop Budde incident captured:

Religious establishment politicization: Cathedral pulpit for political message
LGBTQ+ advocacy: Framework from Episcopal leadership
Immigration framework: Religious mercy claim
Trump’s honest response: Not good service
Tradition disruption: Apolitical ceremony politicized

The incident became defining moment for:

Political role of religious leaders
Episcopal Church trajectory
Trump second-term religious framework
National Prayer Service future

Budde’s political sermon at what was supposed to be uniting ceremony represented either:

Courageous speaking truth to power
Inappropriate politicization of sacred space
Calculated media moment
Authentic religious conscience

The framework depends on partisan perspective.

Key Takeaways

Bishop Budde’s opening plea: “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. We’re scared now.”
Bishop Budde on LGBTQ+ children: “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families. Some who fear for their lives.”
Bishop Budde on immigrant workers: “The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, labor and poultry farms, and meat packing plants … 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.”
Bishop Budde on deportation fears: “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”
Trump’s assessment: “What did you think of the service? Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no … They can do much better.”