Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde to Resign in 2028

The Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington who told Donald Trump to "have mercy" on immigrants and LGBTQ+ Americans during a 2025 prayer service, has announced she will resign the post on June 3, 2028, according to The Guardian. Her departure is timed to follow the consecration and ordination of her successor as diocesan bishop.

What did Budde say during the 2025 inaugural prayer service?

At the Washington National Cathedral on January 21, 2025, the day after Trump's second inauguration, Budde used her sermon to ask the newly sworn-in president to show mercy toward "gay, lesbian and transgender children" across the political spectrum, some of whom, she said, "fear for their lives," per the Guardian's account. The remarks, delivered with Trump seated feet away, drew national attention within hours.

How did Trump respond to the sermon?

Trump demanded an apology in a social media post quoted by the Guardian: "She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart." He added that the broader service was "very boring and uninspiring" and said Budde was "not very good at her job."

Why is Budde stepping down now?

Budde, 66, framed the move as a planned transition rather than a response to the 2025 controversy. "I write today because I have discerned, in consultation with diocesan leadership and the Presiding Bishop's office, that it is time to begin preparing for the election of your next bishop," she wrote in her resignation letter, per the Guardian. She added that the decision "will not be easy" and that she has "not come to this decision lightly or alone."

What happens next in choosing a successor?

The diocese's standing committee is expected to lay out the process in the coming week, including the formation of two committees tasked with the search and election, the Guardian reported. Budde's own tenure will not end until after the new bishop's consecration, giving the diocese roughly 20 months from the letter's release to complete that process before her June 2028 departure.

Who is Mariann Budde?

Budde has led the Episcopal Diocese of Washington since her election in 2011, making her the first woman to hold the post, according to the Guardian. Before that, she spent 18 years as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. Her 2025 sermon turned her into one of the more recognized clergy voices in the city, a profile that has persisted through the final years of her episcopate even as she insists the resignation reflects ordinary succession planning rather than the fallout from her remarks to the president.