Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said she has been receiving death threats since she called on President Trump to “show mercy to the people of our country who are now afraid” during the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral.
“Some people have wished me dead. I’m not sure if they’ve threatened to kill me directly, but they would certainly be happy if I were to die soon,” the Episcopal bishop said on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show on Wednesday.
She explained that her intention was to promote more respectful conversation, saying, “I was really trying to encourage a different kind of conversation. You may disagree with me, you may disagree with what I’ve said or done, but can we speak to each other with respect as Americans and fellow children of God? I would give you the same advice.”
Budde also asked those who disagree with her to treat her with respect. “I will listen to your views and respect them, but we don’t need to go to the highest level of contempt when we disagree,” she said. “If we can get that back as a country, that will go a long way in being able to work together on many of the problems that we face.”
Despite the criticism she received over her call for Trump to show compassion to immigrants and LGBTQ children, Budde has refused to apologize to Trump or other Republican critics who felt her comments were inappropriate.
Budde, 65, told Time on Wednesday, “I’m not going to apologize for asking for compassion for others.” She reiterated that sentiment in an interview with NPR, saying, “I don’t think there’s a need to apologize.”
Trump criticized Budde after the service, saying her remarks could have been better and then stepped up his criticism a few hours later.
“The so-called bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a radical left-wing anti-Trump. He brought his church into the world of politics in a very unpleasant way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that his service was “not inspiring” and “mean in tone, and not engaging or smart.”
