Donald Trump was confronted by a bishop who pleaded with him to show “mercy” to LGBT+ children and migrants at a prayer service on Tuesday, 21 January, a day after he was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, referenced Trump’s belief that God saved him from assassination as she directly addressed the Republican.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” she continued.
Trump signed executive orders intended to roll back the Biden administration’s efforts to recognize and accommodate transgender people at the federal level and end federal efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion programs.