White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the sermon delivered at President Donald Trump’s inauguration and demanded an apology from the bishop.
During her sermon at the Washington National Cathedral following Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde begged that the president have “mercy” on undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ people who may be targeted by Trump’s policies and are “scared” about his return to office.
“Everybody there was shocked and mortified by the disturbing comments from this bishop who chose to weaponize the pulpit,” Leavitt told Fox News. “So the comments by that bishop yesterday were egregious, and she should apologize to President Trump for the lies that she told.”
Trump also demanded an apology from the bishop. On Tuesday night, he went on a Truth Social rant about the “nasty” sermon, calling the bishop a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She was nasty in tone and not compelling or smart.”
“She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our Country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA,” he continued.
The sermon this week came after Trump signed a slate of executive orders, including to end birthright citizenship and declare that there are only two sexes, that raised alarm for immigrant and LGBTQ people in the country.
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This week, both the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require the detainment of migrants accused of theft and violent crimes. The bill, which would also allow states to challenge federal immigration policies, is headed to Trump’s desk and could be the first legislation signed into law under Trump’s second presidency.