In the conclusion of her sermon, Budde addressed the president directly. On his first day in office, Trump signed executive orders targeting transgender individuals and immigration. The bishop responded to those acts by asking Trump to "have mercy" for members of the LGBTQ+ community and for immigrants.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called on President Trump to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant families at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration Tuesday, which went viral and prompted the president to call her “nasty in tone” and “not compelling or smart.