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During the prayer service, attended by Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, Bishop Budde delivered a politically charged plea. Speaking directly to Trump, she expressed concerns about transgender children’s safety and the broader LGBTQ+ community. “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives,” Budde declared.
This type of activism from the pulpit is not new for Budde, who has often blurred the line between faith and politics. Critics, however, argue that her comments and positions are less about Christianity and more about promoting a left-wing agenda.
Greg Gutfeld, co-host of The Five on Fox News, did not hold back in his assessment of Budde’s remarks. He called out her support for transgender surgeries for children and condemned her portrayal of such issues as acts of compassion.
“Who knew Satan wore granny glasses and stole his haircut from John Denver?” Gutfeld quipped. “Just because you are spiritual…doesn’t make you smart, holy, or even good… Satan isn’t going to show up in red tights holding a pitchfork. It’s going to show up like that. [Budde’s] an impostor. She exploits compassion for terrible, terrible beliefs.”
Budde’s commentary might have resonated more during Trump’s first term, a time when left-leaning public figures were frequently elevated to cultural icon status for opposing him. Media outlets such as CNN and The View welcomed Budde, but her broader cultural impact remained muted. This time around, the reception to her rhetoric reflects a growing fatigue with woke activism.
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Part of the shift in public opinion stems from policies like those advocated by Vice President Kamala Harris, who has supported taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for prisoners. Such initiatives have proven to be wildly unpopular. A New York Times poll revealed that 71% of Americans oppose chemically altering children’s bodies in the name of gender identity.
Pop culture’s silence on Budde’s comments may indicate a strategic avoidance of aligning with divisive transgender ideologies. Gutfeld’s takedown further exposed the disconnect between Budde’s political activism and the values held by the majority of Americans.
For Trump and his supporters, moments like these only serve to bolster their position as defenders of traditional values. The 2024 election is shaping up to be defined by such cultural clashes, with figures like Budde inadvertently galvanizing conservative resistance to progressive overreach.
