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AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show looking at growing pushback to Donald Trump’s sweeping moves to reshape the country. On Tuesday, 24 states and cities sued to block Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. The Trump administration is also facing four lawsuits over the formation of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, a new department headed by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
In a moment, we’ll speak to the co-president of Public Citizen, one of the organizations suing over DOGE, but we begin today’s show with the words of Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. On Tuesday, she gave the sermon at the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington. She directly confronted President Trump, who was sitting nearby with Vice President JD Vance.
BISHOP MARIANN EDGAR BUDDE: Let me make one final plea. Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our 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. And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals, they — 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 neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples.
I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, the good of all people in this nation and the world.
AMY GOODMAN: Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde addressing President Trump and his family at the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington as Trump and Vice President JD Vance sat in the front pew. Trump was later asked at the White House about her sermon.
REPORTER: … of the service?
AIDE: What did you think of the —
REPORTER: What did you think of the service?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: 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. Thank you very much.
AIDE: Thank you, press. Thank you, press.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They can do much — they can do much better.
AMY GOODMAN: President Trump later posted a message about Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde on his social media platform Truth Social, writing, quote, “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” unquote.
Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia posted a message online saying, quote, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,” unquote.
For the record, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde was born in New Jersey. She’s served as bishop of Washington since 2011.
Coming up, Public Citizen sues the Trump administration over DOGE, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “Dark Star” by Garth Hudson. The multi-instrumentalist of The Band died Tuesday at the age of 87.
