WASHINGTON ‒ Despite being attacked by him online, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde said she would meet with President Donald Trump if it would lead to a meaningful discussion about protecting the rights of LGTBQ communities.
“I would love to actually have a real person-to-person conversation about the things that matter. I'm always open to that," Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, told USA TODAY.
Trump was upset by Budde’s sermon during his Jan. 21 inauguration prayer service urging him to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now."
“There are transgender children in both Republican and Democratic families who fear for their lives,’’ she told Trump during the service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Trump later lashed out on social media demanding an apology from Budde and calling her a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater."
