White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum slammed Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde for a sermon imploring President Donald Trump to show “mercy” to migrants and the LGBTQ+ community.

Trump and pro-Trump media figures have been lashing out at Bishop Budde since she wrapped up her national prayer service sermon by directly addressing Trump.

Budde made a lengthy plea for mercy for “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives” and for “those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”

After she was attacked, Budde made several television appearances to explain her sermon.

On Wednesday’s edition of Fox News Channel’s The Story with Martha MacCallum, MacCallum asked Leavitt about the sermon, then added her own condemnation after Leavitt’s response:

MACCALLUM: Let me ask you. We just heard the contents again of President Biden’s letter to President Trump, a very cordial letter asking God to bless the country and his work as he moves forward as the commander in chief.

I would imagine that’s what all of you were expecting to hear a little bit more of at the National Cathedral yesterday. Were you surprised at the tone from Bishop Budde? And did anyone feel that maybe that — maybe having her speak was going to be a little problematic when everyone walked in there?

LEAVITT: It was supposed to be a unifying and bipartisan church service in the beautiful National Cathedral here in Washington, D.C., and I was there with President Trump.

And everybody there was shocked and mortified by the disturbing comments from this bishop, who chose to weaponize the pulpit. She had an opportunity to pray over the president and the vice president and their families who were sitting in the first pews. And she spoke about truth, which was very ironic, because, words later, she spewed lies.

She said that President Trump has called illegal — or immigrants criminals. That’s not true. He calls illegal immigrants criminals because in fact they are criminals, by definition. If you break our nation’s laws, you are a criminal.

She also talked about how LGBTQ people in this country may be disappointed. That’s also a lie. In fact, I just saw Scott Bessent in the West Wing of the White House on his way to meet with President Trump and he is the highest-ranking LGBTQ official in United States history appointed by the president in the Oval Office right now.

So the comments by that bishop yesterday were egregious, and she should apologize to President Trump for the lies that she told. It’s despicable to say that.

MACCALLUM: I mean, she’s all over other channels sort of taking a victory lap, I guess, on “The View.” So I don’t know if any apology is forthcoming, but it was certainly a very partisan and inappropriate sermon that she gave.

It seemed to become all about her, rather than all about blessing the president on his way in, as it has always traditionally been.

Watch above via Fox News Channel’s The Story with Martha MacCallum.

The post Fox News Anchor Slams Trump-Defying Bishop For ‘Victory Lap’ After ‘Inappropriate Sermon’ On Mercy For Migrants, LGBTQ first appeared on Mediaite.

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