Archive · 4 Oct 2026
Washington Bishop Resigns After Calling on Trump for Mercy
Mariann Edgar Budde is the bishop who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.
She has said she plans to leave her job on June 3, 2028.
She and church leaders are starting to prepare for choosing the next bishop.
A committee is expected to explain the steps next week.
Budde has led the diocese since 2011 and was its first woman bishop.
She became widely known after asking President Donald Trump to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump criticized her remarks and said she and her church should apologize.
Budde says she will help make the change to a new leader strong and healthy.
Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Edgar Budde says she will leave her post on June 3, 2028.
She said she decided, with diocesan and church leadership, to begin preparing for the election of her successor.
The standing committee is expected to outline the succession process next week, including appointing two committees.
Budde has led the diocese since her election in 2011 and was its first woman spiritual leader.
She drew national attention for urging Donald Trump to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people; Trump later criticized her sermon and called for an apology.
- Who
- Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington.
- What
- She announced her resignation and the start of preparations to elect her successor.
- When
- She will leave on June 3, 2028; the standing committee is expected to outline next steps next week.
- Where
- The Episcopal Diocese of Washington, in Washington, DC.
- Why
- Budde said she had discerned, in consultation with diocesan leadership and the Presiding Bishop’s office, that it was time to prepare for the next bishop.
Budde's appeal
Trump's criticism
Her sermon about vulnerable groups
Budde's appeal
Budde urged Trump to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, including children she said feared for their lives.
Trump's criticism
Trump called her a hard-line Trump critic, said her remarks were inappropriate, and demanded an apology.
Religion and politics
Budde's appeal
Budde has criticized Trump's use of religious symbols and argued that his positions were contrary to the Bible.
Trump's criticism
Trump said Budde had brought her church into politics in an ungracious way.
- Resignation date
- June 3, 2028
- Age
- 66
- Became bishop
- Elected in 2011
- Succession process
- The standing committee is expected to outline the steps next week and appoint two committees.
- Sermon that drew attention
- Budde urged Trump to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.
- Trump's response
- Trump criticized Budde's remarks and said she and her church owed the public an apology.
- Prior role
- Budde served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis for 18 years.