WASHINGTON ― At an inauguration prayer service attended by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the officiating pastor implored the newly inaugurated president to “show compassion” towards immigrants and transgender youth, making what she referred to as “one last call for empathy.”

“On behalf of our God, I urge you to show compassion to those in our nation who are feeling afraid right now,” Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde stated during her sermon at the National Cathedral while Trump and Vice President JD Vance listened, accompanied by their families.

“There are children who identify as gay, lesbian, and transgender in families across the political spectrum—Democratic, Republican, and independent—many of whom are frightened for their safety,” Budde said. She later reminded Trump that “Our God teaches us to show kindness to strangers, for we have all been strangers in this land.”

The pastor’s statements came after Trump had taken a series of executive actions on his first day of his second term as president, which targeted transgender individuals and immigrants living in the country without legal status. Trump announced that the federal government would recognize only male and female genders, reversing protections for transgender individuals established by former President Joe Biden.

To push forward his immigration policies, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, ordered the military to counter “forms of invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border, and aimed to end birthright citizenship despite doubts about the legality of such a move.

When asked about the sermon upon his return to the White House, Trump replied, “It wasn’t particularly exciting, was it?”

“They can certainly improve,” Trump remarked.

During her address, Budde remarked: “The individuals who harvest our crops, clean our workplaces, work in poultry farms and meat processing facilities, wash dishes in our restaurants, and serve the night shifts in hospitals — they may lack citizenship or proper documentation, yet the majority of immigrants are not criminals.”

Vance appeared uncomfortable during the pastor’s speech, casting glances toward his wife Usha Vance and Trump, who maintained a mostly impassive demeanor.

Budde referred to immigrants as “good neighbors” who contribute to the economy by paying taxes and are active members of numerous places of worship, including churches, temples, and synagogues.

“I implore you to show compassion, Mr. President, towards those in our communities whose children worry that their parents could be taken away. I also ask that you extend assistance to those fleeing war and persecution in their homelands, offering them kindness and refuge here,” Budde stated.

Consecrated as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington in 2011, Budde has been characterized as ” unapologetically liberal” in a Washington Post profile published the same year.

Budde has openly criticized Trump in the past, expressing her “outrage” in 2020 when he walked unannounced to St. John’s Episcopal Church—located across the street from the White House and part of her diocese—to hold up a Bible during protests that erupted following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.