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Bishop makes a 'mercy' appeal for immigrants, LGBTQ as Trump attends sermon
On his first full day in office, Trump was sermonized by Bishop Budde, who called for compassion towards scared immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.
A day after assuming the US Presidential office for the second time, Donald Trump’s harsh crackdown on illegal immigrants and the queer community set him up to receive a sermon by a bishop for “showing mercy” on the “scared” people.
Trump started his first full day in the Oval Office by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. At the service, bishop Mariann Edgar Budde urged the newly inaugurated President to show mercy on the people who are scared of the consequences of his decisions. She particularly made a case for the illegal immigrants and the people of the LGBTQ+ community.
“In the name of the god, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” said Budde in a sincere appeal she made from the pulpit.
Emphasising on the importance of the role of undocumented immigrants in the US society, Budde said that they may be illegal but they make for good neighbours.
“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labour in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals.. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbours,” she said.
“I ask you to have mercy Mr President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away,” she added.
Budde sermonised Donald Trump as he sat with a fraught look next to his wife Melania Trump and the second couple of the US.
This comes after Trump’s crushing actions against these communities just one day into the office. To deliver on his promise of controlling immigration in the US, Trump has decided to deport millions who don't have proper documentation. He also banned the CBP one app and mobilized the military to the US-Mexican border to curb illegal immigration along with abolishing birthright citizenship in the US.
Keeping up with his conservative values, Trump refused to recognize any other gender apart from male and female in a major blow to the queer community in the US.
Trump’s reaction
Trump, who was caught unawares by bishop Mariann Edgar Budde with her sermons, was expectedly unimpressed with the service. While heading out, when a media person asked Trump how he liked the service, he shot back and said “What did you think? Did you like it, did you find it exciting?”
“Not too exciting, was it? I didn't think it was a good service. No...They can do much better,” he said.
