Much of the world, having followed his inauguration, tuned in again to watch US President Donald Trump at the national prayer service at the Episcopal Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday, 21 January 2025.
This cathedral, on its website, proclaims it “a house of prayer for all people”. Sentiments that align with my own, perhaps not as an Episcopalian, but rather as someone who holds to the whole law of the Christian Bible, that of love.
Watching from a small village in South Africa, the Washington Cathedral to me seemed to me as grand a place as one could expect for the religious solemnising of a new president. I expected well-worn phrases of liturgy. But Bishop Mariann Budde, to whom it fell to speak, chose words that were simple and direct, respectful and heartfelt.
Speaking expressly to Trump, Budde asked him to have mercy upon the people in their country “who are scared now”. She singled out gay, lesbian and transgender children, some of whom fear for their lives. And also the people who pick crops, the cleaners, hospital workers and food industry labourers who “may not be citizens or have the proper documentation”.
As Budde spoke, the cameras focused on Trump showed him making no effort to look engaged. Perhaps he was tired. That would be understandable. But, as she continued, his expression lost its vacancy. As Budde reminded Trump that “the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals”, contempt twisted his face.
President Donald John Trump is the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world. The mantle assumes for its holder both measure and dignity. Would that Trump had chosen to explain or downplay his reaction to Budde’s message.
But his social media branded her a “radical left hard line Trump hater”, “not very good at her job”, who “brought her church into the world of politics in a very ungracious way”.
Reader, I am an intersectional feminist. And my gut twisted along with Trump’s face. It twisted more as social media saw him reassert narrative dominance.
He’s in a position of immense power. He has the ear of the right wing who are unsympathetic towards gender equality, and has freed two members of the far-right, neo-fascist Proud Boys jailed for their part in the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
More worryingly, Trump has launched expansive executive orders which target the very groups that Budde expressed concern about. He has put diversity workers on leave and ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials into previously protected places, such as churches and schools, to seek out undocumented immigrants.
The political climate Trump is sending this message out into is a complicated one. It’s not a benign or tolerant environment where reason and calm prevail. His electorate are riding a wave of victory and euphoria. And now, Trump has mobilised troops to the borders.
Responding to Trump’s outrage against her, Budde acknowledged that America is in a hyper-politicised environment. That Americans live in a culture of contempt where people fix the worst possible interpretation on what others are saying. “It’s part of the air we breathe right now.”
I said earlier that I am an intersectional feminist. I am also director of a nonprofit working to bring the voices of women and otherwise marginalised people to places of impact and power to help African democracy flourish.
In our workspace there is an air of renewed urgency. We are very alert to the possibility that women’s (and others’) voices could be under threat in the US. We’re hyper-aware that what happens in the US often spills over into other parts of the globe. That we need to prioritise safety when voices aligned with us speak uncomfortable truths.
Trump has a huge responsibility to do the right thing now.
From where I stand, that’s heeding the words of Bishop Budde, who said that she spoke to bring other voices into the conversation that haven’t been heard in the public space for some time.
Trump’s responsibility, I am sure, is to treat everyone equally, with dignity and mercy. And to stand firm against the divisive social media narratives in which so many people are being harmed.
Budde told Time magazine she has “heard from many people who are grateful that someone was willing to speak on their behalf”. But she’s also heard from those who “have said they do wish me dead, and that’s a little heartbreaking”. She said the level of attack has been sobering. Disheartening.
As director of Quote This Woman+ (QW+), I salute Budde for speaking truth to power. For asking Trump to stop and listen.
And as Trump’s influence spreads on our continent, we know that what we do at QW+ is so very important – getting people, even those in positions of great power, to listen to, and respect, what women+ experts say. DM