- Safiu Kehinde
United States cleric, Bishop Marian Edgar Budde, has explained why she asked President Donald Trump to have mercy on people scarred of his second coming.
Budde had on Tuesday sparked controversy after pleading with Trump and his Vice J.D Vance on behalf of LGBTQ community and immigrants at the National Prayer Service.
This, however, led to an outburst from the US President who labelled her plea as nasty and uncompelling.
Trump further labelled her statement as inappropriate while demanding public apology from the cleric and her church.
Meanwhile, Budde in an interview shared on TikTok on Thursday reaffirmed her plea for mercy, stressing that there is room for mercy and compassion.
“I wanted to say there is room for mercy. There is room for broader compassion. We don’t need to portray with the broad clause with the harshest of terms some of them are vulnerable people in our society who are in fact our neighbours, our friends, our friends’ children.” She said.
At the interdenominational prayer held on Tuesday, Budde pleaded for Trump’s mercy on the LGBTQ and immigrants who are currently scared over the Republican President’s executive orders targeted at them.
“Let me make one final plea Mr. President. Millions of people trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of the loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.
They are gay, lesbian, the transgender children in the Democratic, Republican, and Independent parties. Some who fear for their lives. And the people who picked our crops and clean our office building.
“Those who labour in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants.
“They work night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have proper documentations.
“But the vast majority of them are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neigbours. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques, synagogues, wadara, and temples.” the bishop had said at the service.