The return of Donald Trump became clear today, as journalists once again woke up to an angry presidential social media post, this time over a moment that went viral.
On Tuesday, during inauguration services at Washington National Cathedral, Bishop Marian Edgar Budd confronted Trump during her sermon, saying: “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are afraid right now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, and some of them fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who work in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash dishes after eating in restaurants and work night shifts in hospitals, may not be citizens or have proper documentation but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. “They pay taxes and are good neighbors.”
Afterward, Trump told reporters about the event that he “didn't think it was a good service,” an apparent criticism of Buddy's comments.
In a post on Truth Social at 12:39 a.m. ET this morning, Trump described Buddy as a “hard-core radical left Trump hater.”
“She brought her church into politics in a very inappropriate manner,” Trump wrote. “She had a bad tone, and she wasn't persuasive or intelligent. She did not mention the large number of illegal immigrants who came to our country and killed people. Many were placed in prisons and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave happening in the USA. Aside from her inappropriate remarks, the service was extremely boring and uninspiring. She's not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!
But Trump has long claimed that religious freedom is under attack, and in his first term he issued executive orders to protect religious freedom. But his rhetoric has often focused on conservative evangelicals, a key voting bloc, while in his 2016 election campaign he called for a ban on Muslims entering the country.
Some Trump allies, who have long complained that the religious right is too often attacked for their beliefs, were quick to attack Budi's comments, even though she is a prominent religious leader in the nation's capital. On Fox News, Laura Ingraham said that Trump and his family were “forced during the Mass to listen to crazy screaming,” with Alcheron calling Budd a “woke bishop.”
