‘I Am Not Going to Apologize’: The Bishop Who Confronted Trump Speaks Out

President Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the bishop who had delivered a pointed plea directly at him on behalf of immigrants and LGBTQ+ children during a service at the National Cathedral a day earlier.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde, a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” who is “not very good at her job.” He said she “brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way” and demanded an apology. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Budde’s sermon may have been the only critical words Donald Trump heard during his first full day in office. 

As Trump sat in the first pew of the National Cathedral on Tuesday during a traditional prayer service, Bishop Budde asked Trump “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” Trump glared and shifted uncomfortably as she spoke. 

“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.” In his first hours as President, Trump signed an order recognizing “two sexes, male and female,” and saying those are set at birth and cannot be changed. He also ordered immigration officers to ramp up deportations of people in the country without authorization.

Budde said in her sermon that those being targeted for deportation “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. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples.” She added, “I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”

Since her sermon drew national attention on Tuesday, Budde tells TIME she has “heard from many people who are grateful that someone was willing to speak on their behalf” as well as those who “have said they do wish me dead, and that’s a little heartbreaking.”

Budde has served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington since 2011. She was also critical of Trump in 2020 when he ordered racial justice protestors to be forcibly removed from Lafayette Park and the courtyard of St. John’s Church and then posed there for a photo while holding a Bible.

In an interview with TIME, Budde described her reaction to the blowback and Trump calling her out. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

TIME: Are you comfortable with being this well known nationally?

BISHOP BUDDE: I hope that a message calling for dignity, respecting dignity, honesty, humility and kindness is resonating with people. I’m grateful for that. I’m saddened by the level of vitriol that it has evoked in others, and the intensity of it has been disheartening. I’ve heard from many people who are grateful that someone was willing to speak on their behalf, and also others feeling emboldened to do the same, and I’m grateful for that.

I’m not comfortable with the — I don’t know how to describe it — but I’m perfectly happy to be in conversation with people who disagree with me. The level of attack has been sobering and disheartening. 

Are you hoping to inspire others to push back against President Trump’s policies?

I would love to have people present another alternative, yes, and to bring compassion and breadth into our public discourse.

Trump called you a “Radical left hard line Trump hater.” What’s your response to that?

I don’t hate President Trump. I strive not to hate anyone and I dare say that I am not of the ‘radical left’ either, whatever that means. That is not who I am.

He said you’re not very good at your job.

That is for other people to judge, and so he is certainly entitled to his opinion.

And he said you should apologize. Will you apologize?

I am not going to apologize for asking for mercy for others.

Have you received threats? Do you feel in danger?

The real people who are in danger are those who are fearful of being deported. The real people who are in danger are the young people who feel they cannot be themselves and be safe and who are prone to all kinds of both external attacks and suicidal responses to them. So I think we should keep our eyes on the people who are really vulnerable in our society. I have a lot of support and a lot of safety around me, so no, I’m not feeling personally at risk. Although people have said they do wish me dead, and that’s a little heartbreaking. It was a pretty mild sermon. It certainly wasn’t a fire and brimstone sermon. It was as respectful and as universal as I could with the exception of making someone who has been entrusted with such enormous influence and power to have mercy on those who are most vulnerable.

Anything else?

I think it’s all of us, you know. I think it’s not about me. It’s about the kind of country we are called to be. And that’s what I did my best to try and speak to, to present an alternative to the culture of contempt, and to say that we can bring multiple perspectives into a common space and do so with dignity and respect. And that we need that, and the culture of contempt is threatening to destroy us. And I’m getting a little bit of a taste of that this week.