Dear MoveOn member,
On Tuesday morning, the day after the inauguration, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde stepped up to her pulpit for the National Prayer Service. She looked directly at President Trump and Vice President JD Vance—both seated in the front row—and issued a direct, earnest plea.
"I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared."1
Bishop Budde went on to express compassion and care for LGBTQ+ children and families, as well as for immigrant communities and those seeking refuge. "God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land," she added toward the end of her sermon.2
It shouldn't be surprising for religious leaders to call for mercy or for people with public platforms to plead the case of those marginalized in our society. Unfortunately, from tech CEOs to media company executives to the country's leading bankers, we've seen civic and industry "leaders" seek to ingratiate themselves with Donald Trump—with their policies, their donations, and their silence. That's what makes Bishop Budde's example so important—as a model for others and a critical reminder to tens of millions of us that there are people who will speak the truth even when it's uncomfortable.
Bishop Budde is the first woman to serve as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral coming the day after the inauguration is a longstanding tradition. Her sermon—attended by Trump and Vance along with their families—was grounded in the morals of her faith and shared values of compassion, care, and unity.
Trump wasted no time lashing out at Bishop Budde—defaulting to petty insults and calling her "not compelling or smart."3 Trump even went so far as to demand an apology. And conservative leaders and far-right pundits, eager to get on Trump's good side, swarmed to follow his lead, attacking Bishop Budde and dismissing her impassioned plea.4
It's only Week 1—and Trump and conservatives are already showing us exactly how they will respond to critiques of this administration. And we have to show them how we will fight back.
On his first day in office, Trump issued 46 presidential actions, including 26 executive orders. Many of these executive orders threaten LGBTQ+ communities and immigrant communities specifically, including unpopular and unconstitutional directives like ending birthright citizenship.5
Instead of focusing on the issues that everyday people are struggling with—affording basic needs like health care, housing, and food—Trump and Republicans decided to spend the week sowing chaos. These executive orders are meant to exhaust, desensitize, and divide Americans in order to distract from the administration's real agenda: making their wealthy friends like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg even wealthier.
Her clear-eyed and heartfelt sermon served as a reminder to all Americans of our duty and responsibility not to any single president or administration but to each other—our neighbors, friends, and family. It is what we can and should expect from any community leader in this moment, as communities face truly unprecedented attacks from Trump. When more and more civic and business leaders step up, when more high-profile Americans use their platforms to call for peace and mercy, it will inspire countless others across the country to do the same.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Kenia, Alexis, Julia, and the rest of the team
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