History shows Bishop Budde did nothing wrong at Trump's inaugural prayer service
Suddenly it's also no stranger to controversy.
It has hosted state funerals for Sen. John McCain and presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. It has hosted numerous national prayer services for the inaugural celebrations of many presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 and George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump twice.
In 1968, it was where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last sermon before going to Memphis. 'Human progress comes through the tireless efforts of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God,' he said then.
In 2017, church leaders removed the ornate building's memorial windows to Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson that had been donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy 64 years earlier.
In 2018, it interred the ashes of Matthew Shepard in the Cathedral crypt, 20 years after his murder in an anti-gay hate crime.
Last year church leaders ended a practice of planning inaugural prayer services with the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which let incoming presidents pick participants. The New York Times called it 'a move toward religious independence, so the service itself would be free of partisan interference and so it would not be seen as a coronation or sacred anointing.'
All of this left Bishop Mariann Budde wondering what message to send at Trump's inaugural prayer services on Tuesday. She had not drawn attention to herself when speaking at the event in 2017. But plenty of others had sent pointed messages to presidents at earlier prayer services.
Rev. Jesse Jackson got political when addressing President Bill Clinton during his inaugural prayer services in 1997, calling attention to gun violence inside the Metropolitan AME Church just days after Bill Cosby's 27-year-old only son had been shot and killed in Los Angeles.
'Every parent harbors a secret terror, the infant that we nurture, the child we raise, the young men and women we launch into the earth, is ever at risk in this often too violent world,' he said.
'Dr. King, another Morehouse man, reminded us that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. Easter reminds us you need not be guilty to face execution. Yes, even the innocent die until we root out the culture of violence. It is not ours to understand but to keep the faith, humbled by the great blessings we have been granted, confident that even in the darkest night dawn cometh in the morning.'
Pastor Jack Hayford expressed his own wishes for new President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney – and all of us — in 2001: 'Grant them patience, understanding and love as they care for your people. And grant us an equal fidelity and integrity that each of us offer ourselves and our talents and gifts for the good of our land and for all peoples and nations.'
Pastor Sharon E. Watkins offered Obama guidance in 2009: 'We the nation that you serve need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values. Beyond this moment of high hopes, we need you to stay focused on our shared hopes so that we can continue to hope, too.… Someone has to stand watch and be ready to defend, and Mr. President, tag, you're it.'
Bishop Harry Jackson addressed Trump in 2017, saying, 'Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in Heaven and Earth, grant to the president, vice president and members of the cabinet wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties, that they may serve all people of this nation and promote the dignity and freedom of every person. Keep this nation under your care.'
And in 2021, Bishop William J. Barber II spoke of unity before President Joe Biden: 'So gracious and great God, grant us as a people; grant us as an entire nation, grant our new president; grant our new vice president; grant every preacher; grant every politician; grant every person, Black and white, Latino, Native, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, person of faith, people not of faith but with a moral conscience, every human being created by God, documented or undocumented; gay, straight or trans, young or old. And what a day it will be when our children's children call us what you have called us to be: repairers of the breach.'
So it was that Budde spoke directly to Trump on Tuesday.
'Let me make one final plea, Mr. President,' she said. '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 who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor 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 neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras 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, good of all people in this nation and the world.'
Trump's response was far less eloquent. Responding to a reporter's question about his thoughts on the service, he said, 'I didn't think it was a good service' and 'they could do much better.'
Then, at 12:39 a.m. Wednesday — yes, after midnight — he elaborated on his Truth Social account: '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. 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. Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!'
In case there is any doubt, no president has viciously attacked someone who prayed for him at his inaugural prayer service, someone whose perceived slight consisted of her asking him for mercy and who was basically doing what many religious leaders have asked of many presidents.
'The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,' tweeted U.S. Rep Mike Collins, R-Georgia. Prominent Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, who was at the cathedral for the service, tweeted, 'Mariann Edgar Budde insulted rather than encouraged our great president @realDonaldTrump. There was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.'
Is this where we are in America? Is this who we are in America?
Are we OK with being cruel about … kindness?
A lot happened in President Donald Trump's first week. More will happen in the weeks to come. But this vitriol cannot be tolerated. Budde did nothing wrong, as history clearly shows. Have mercy on her, Mr. President.
There are ways to disagree about politics without insulting a preacher's God-given right to free speech.
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Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump once decried the idea of presidential vacations. His Scotland trip is built around golf
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Trump was also talking trade in separate meetings with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer . Trump is staying at his properties near Turnberry and Aberdeen, where his family owns two golf courses and is opening a third on Aug. 13. Trump played golf over the weekend at Turnberry and is helping cut the ribbon on the new course on Tuesday. He's not the first president to play in Scotland: Dwight D. Eisenhower played at Turnberry in 1959, more than a half century before Trump bought it, after meeting with French President Charles de Gaulle in Paris. But none of Trump's predecessors has constructed a foreign itinerary around promoting vacation sites his family owns and is actively expanding. It lays bare how Trump has leveraged his second term to pad his family's profits in a variety of ways, including overseas development deals and promoting cryptocurrencies, despite growing questions about ethics concerns. 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'When he thinks about how he wants to spend his free time, A., playing golf, B., visiting places where he has investments and C., enhancing those investments, that was not the priority for previous presidents, but it is his vacation time,' Engel said. It's even a departure from Trump's first term, when he found ways to squeeze in visits to his properties while on trips more focused on work. Trump stopped at his resort in Hawaii to thank staff members after visiting the memorial site at Pearl Harbor and before embarking on an Asia trip in November 2017. He played golf at Turnberry in 2018 before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. Trump once decried the idea of taking vacations as president. 'Don't take vacations. What's the point? If you're not enjoying your work, you're in the wrong job,' Trump wrote in his 2004 book, 'Think Like a Billionaire.' During his presidential campaign in 2015, he pledged to 'rarely leave the White House.' Even as recently as a speech at a summit on artificial intelligence in Washington on Wednesday, Trump derided his predecessor for flying long distances for golf — something he's now doing. 'They talked about the carbon footprint and then Obama hops onto a 747, Air Force One, and flies to Hawaii to play a round of golf and comes back,' he said. Presidential vacations and any overseas trips were once taboo Trump isn't the first president not wanting to publicize taking time off. George Washington was criticized for embarking on a New England tour to promote the presidency. Some took issue with his successor, John Adams, for leaving the then-capital of Philadelphia in 1797 for a long visit to his family's farm in Quincy, Massachusetts. James Madison left Washington for months after the War of 1812. Teddy Roosevelt helped pioneer the modern presidential vacation in 1902 by chartering a special train and directing key staffers to rent houses near Sagamore Hill , his home in Oyster Bay, New York, according to the White House Historical Association. Four years later, Roosevelt upended tradition again, this time by becoming the first president to leave the country while in office. The New York Times noted that Roosevelt's 30-day trip by yacht and battleship to tour construction of the Panama Canal 'will violate the traditions of the United States for 117 years by taking its President outside the jurisdiction of the Government at Washington.' In the decades since, where presidents opted to vacation, even outside the U.S., has become part of their political personas. In addition to New Jersey, Grant relaxed on Martha's Vineyard. Calvin Coolidge spent the 1928 Christmas holidays at Sapelo Island, Georgia. Lyndon B. Johnson had his 'Texas White House,' a Hill Country ranch . Eisenhower vacationed in Newport, Rhode Island. John F. Kennedy went to Palm Springs, California, and his family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, among other places. Richard Nixon had the 'Southern White House' on Key Biscayne, Florida, while Joe Biden traveled frequently to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, while also visiting Nantucket, Massachusetts, and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. George H.W. Bush was a frequent visitor to his family's property in Kennebunkport, Maine, and didn't let the start of the Gulf War in 1991 detour him from a monthlong vacation there. His son, George W. Bush, opted for his ranch in Crawford, Texas, rather than a more posh destination. Presidential visits help tourism in some places more than others, but Engel said that for some Americans, 'if the president of the Untied States goes some place, you want to go to the same place.' He noted that visitors emulating presidential vacations are out 'to show that you're either as cool as he or she, that you understand the same values as he or she or, heck, maybe you'll bump into he or she.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump once decried the idea of presidential vacations. His Scotland trip is built around golf
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — During sweaty summer months, Abraham Lincoln often decamped about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of the White House to the Soldiers' Home, a presidential retreat of cottages and parkland in what today is the Petworth section of northwest Washington. Ulysses S. Grant sometimes summered at his family's cottage in Long Branch, New Jersey, even occasionally driving teams of horses on the beach. Ronald Reagan once said he did 'some of my best thinking' at his Rancho Del Cielo retreat outside Santa Barbara, California. Donald Trump's getaway is taking him considerably farther from the nation's capital, to the coast of Scotland. The White House isn't calling Trump's five-day, midsummer jaunt a vacation, but rather a working trip where the Republican president might hold a news conference and sit for interviews with U.S. and British media outlets. Trump was also talking trade in separate meetings with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump is staying at his properties near Turnberry and Aberdeen, where his family owns two golf courses and is opening a third on Aug. 13. Trump played golf over the weekend at Turnberry and is helping cut the ribbon on the new course on Tuesday. He's not the first president to play in Scotland: Dwight D. Eisenhower played at Turnberry in 1959, more than a half century before Trump bought it, after meeting with French President Charles de Gaulle in Paris. But none of Trump's predecessors has constructed a foreign itinerary around promoting vacation sites his family owns and is actively expanding. It lays bare how Trump has leveraged his second term to pad his family's profits in a variety of ways, including overseas development deals and promoting cryptocurrencies, despite growing questions about ethics concerns. 'You have to look at this as yet another attempt by Donald Trump to monetize his presidency,' said Leonard Steinhorn, who teaches political communication and courses on American culture and the modern presidency at American University. 'In this case, using the trip as a PR opportunity to promote his golf courses.' Presidents typically vacation in the US Franklin D. Roosevelt went to the Bahamas, often for the excellent fishing, five times between 1933 and 1940. He visited Canada's Campobello Island in New Brunswick, where he had vacationed as a child, in 1933, 1936 and 1939. Reagan spent Easter 1982 on vacation in Barbados after meeting with Caribbean leaders and warning of a Marxist threat that could spread throughout the region from nearby Grenada. Presidents also never fully go on vacation. They travel with a large entourage of aides, receive intelligence briefings, take calls and otherwise work away from Washington. 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Even as recently as a speech at a summit on artificial intelligence in Washington on Wednesday, Trump derided his predecessor for flying long distances for golf — something he's now doing. 'They talked about the carbon footprint and then Obama hops onto a 747, Air Force One, and flies to Hawaii to play a round of golf and comes back,' he said. Presidential vacations and any overseas trips were once taboo Trump isn't the first president not wanting to publicize taking time off. George Washington was criticized for embarking on a New England tour to promote the presidency. Some took issue with his successor, John Adams, for leaving the then-capital of Philadelphia in 1797 for a long visit to his family's farm in Quincy, Massachusetts. James Madison left Washington for months after the War of 1812. Teddy Roosevelt helped pioneer the modern presidential vacation in 1902 by chartering a special train and directing key staffers to rent houses near Sagamore Hill, his home in Oyster Bay, New York, according to the White House Historical Association. Four years later, Roosevelt upended tradition again, this time by becoming the first president to leave the country while in office. The New York Times noted that Roosevelt's 30-day trip by yacht and battleship to tour construction of the Panama Canal 'will violate the traditions of the United States for 117 years by taking its President outside the jurisdiction of the Government at Washington.' In the decades since, where presidents opted to vacation, even outside the U.S., has become part of their political personas. In addition to New Jersey, Grant relaxed on Martha's Vineyard. Calvin Coolidge spent the 1928 Christmas holidays at Sapelo Island, Georgia. Lyndon B. Johnson had his 'Texas White House,' a Hill Country ranch. Eisenhower vacationed in Newport, Rhode Island. John F. Kennedy went to Palm Springs, California, and his family's compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, among other places. Richard Nixon had the 'Southern White House' on Key Biscayne, Florida, while Joe Biden traveled frequently to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, while also visiting Nantucket, Massachusetts, and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. George H.W. Bush was a frequent visitor to his family's property in Kennebunkport, Maine, and didn't let the start of the Gulf War in 1991 detour him from a monthlong vacation there. His son, George W. Bush, opted for his ranch in Crawford, Texas, rather than a more posh destination. Presidential visits help tourism in some places more than others, but Engel said that for some Americans, 'if the president of the Untied States goes some place, you want to go to the same place.' He noted that visitors emulating presidential vacations are out "to show that you're either as cool as he or she, that you understand the same values as he or she or, heck, maybe you'll bump into he or she.'
The Hill
2 days ago
- The Hill
Crypto lobby gains ground under Trump
At least 27 crypto companies or advocates filed their first-ever lobbying disclosures this year across some 20 firms, reflecting an increasing appetite for influence in a more crypto-friendly Washington. The newcomers originate from all corners of the industry. There's betting website Polymarket, a gaming company that created an NFT version of the White House Easter egg hunt, and a Seychelles-based exchange that cannot operate in the U.S. market due to a federal money laundering settlement. Together, they spent nearly $2.8 million between April 1 and June 30 on lobbying landmark legislation promoting digital assets to the Treasury Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and a host of other issues relevant to blockchain infrastructure — an increasingly sprawling ecosystem that some hope could one day be as ubiquitous as the internet. The push has paid off for crypto so far. The GENIUS Act, a bill with bipartisan support signed by President Trump last week, has been regarded as the government's 'seal of approval' on the industry. The law sets up a regulatory framework for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency that is theoretically pegged to the U.S. dollar or another reference asset. The House also advanced several other landmark bills during its monumental 'crypto week,' which featured high-profile lobbying stunts such as vending machines around the Capitol and the National Mall with customized chocolate bars urging 'yes' votes, bankrolled by the crypto exchange Coinbase. Lobbying expenses that week were not covered in the second quarter disclosures. At least 73 companies or associations focused on crypto disclosed federal lobbying activities, to the tune of about $11.4 million. This total doesn't include spending from investment firms such as Andreessen Horowitz ($790,000) or BlackRock ($810,000) that have substantial crypto interests but also lobbied on a suite of other financial regulation issues. The Hill's Miriam Waldvogel has more here.
