MSNBC’s Maddow Asks Bishop About Trump ‘Nastygram’ Lashing Out Over Sermon — and ‘Death Threats’ From Critics

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MSNBC host Rachel Maddow asked Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde about the “nastygram” President Donald Trump sent on social media after her sermon imploring him to show “mercy” to migrants and the LGBTQ+ community — and the threats she has received since then.

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 the president himself fired back following the service, Budde made several television appearances to explain her sermon.

One such appearance was on Wednesday night’s edition of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, which concluded with Maddow asking Budde if she wanted to respond to Trump’s attack:

MADDOW: Bishop Budde, I’d like to just ask you one last question.

BUDDE: Sure.

MADDOW: And I will give you from the outset an opportunity to not answer this if you don’t want to, because it’s perhaps not fair of me.

(LAUGHTER)

BUDDE: OK. All right.

MADDOW: But we did get that nastygram from the president in the middle of the night in which he did insult you and demand an apology.

BUDDE: Yes. Yes.

MADDOW: And I know I have seen remarks that you made today that you have received a lot of not just invective, but threats, including death threats, over the course of today since that happened.

And I would just ask if you wanted to respond either to the president or to the people who have wished you ill in response to this.

BUDDE: Oh, yes, well, to correct, I have been — I have had people wish me dead. I’m not sure they have threatened to kill me, but they seemed to be pleased if I met my eternal destiny sooner, rather than later.

And I would simply say, I — I was trying actually to encourage a different kind of conversation, that you can certainly disagree with me, you can disagree what I have said or did, but could we, as Americans and fellow children of God, speak to one another with respect? I would offer the same to you.

I would listen to your views and I would honor them, but we can — we don’t have to go to the highest extremes of contempt when we are in a position of disagreement. And I think, if we could get that back as a country, we would go a long way in being able to work together to address the many problems that we face.

MADDOW: Well, at its best, no matter your religious faith or lack thereof, the ministry is both teaching and leading.

BUDDE: Yes.

MADDOW: And that, I think, is why you’re having such a strong reaction from so many Americans to what you did yesterday.

BUDDE: Thank you.

MADDOW: And I am sorry for the vitriol and the negative reaction that you have had from some quarters, but I hope you know that there’s a lot on the other side of that as well.

BUDDE: Yes. Thank you so much.

MADDOW: The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., it’s an honor to have you here. Come back any time.

(LAUGHTER)

BUDDE: Thanks so much.

MADDOW: Thank you.

Watch above via MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show.

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