Episcopal Bishop Who Challenged Trump on Immigration Now Urges Americans to Vote
When Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde stood at the pulpit of Washington National Cathedral in January 2025 and asked President Donald Trump to show mercy toward immigrant families, her words ignited a national conversation about faith, power, and compassion. Now, less than two years later, she is back in the public eye — this time with a direct message for voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Two advocacy groups — Interfaith Alliance, a religious advocacy organization, and Protect Democracy, a secular group — released a new political advertisement on October 5, 2026, featuring Budde, the outgoing Episcopal Bishop of Washington. The ad calls on Americans to cast their ballots in the upcoming midterm elections and draws a direct line between her viral 2025 cathedral sermon and the current political moment.
The ad opens with footage of Budde delivering her January 2025 sermon at the National Cathedral, the day after Trump's inauguration, in which she addressed the president face-to-face and pleaded for compassion toward immigrant communities. That clip is paired with footage of masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The ad then shifts to Budde speaking directly into the camera.
"We have all borne witness to the events of the last two years," Budde says. "So today, I am asking you, again, to have mercy. Just as importantly, I am asking for your courage to love your neighbor, to respect the dignity of every human being, and now, to vote."
The advertisement is part of the groups' broader "Choose Love, not ICE" campaign, which launched last year and has now produced four ads total. According to a spokesperson for the organizations, the new spot featuring Budde is set to air in four media markets: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Raleigh, North Carolina — all areas with competitive congressional races on the ballot.
A Sermon That Made Headlines
Budde's original sermon drew widespread attention — and significant backlash from the White House. Trump responded at the time by calling her a "so-called bishop" in a social media post. Despite the criticism, Budde became a prominent figure in faith-based opposition to the administration's immigration enforcement agenda.
She recently announced her intention to resign as Episcopal Bishop of Washington, though she will remain in the role during what is expected to be a lengthy search for her replacement.
Shifting Public Opinion on Immigration
The new ad comes amid measurable shifts in how Americans — particularly religious Americans — view the administration's immigration policies. A March 2026 survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found that support for Trump's handling of immigration had declined across every major religious group polled.
The steepest drop came among white non-evangelical Protestants — the same religious community Budde belongs to and has served as a bishop. Support within that group for Trump's immigration policies fell 20 percentage points between March 2025 and March 2026, dropping from 64% to 46%.
Those numbers reflect more than a year of sustained, faith-driven advocacy against the administration's mass deportation efforts. Clergy from major mainline Protestant traditions — including the Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and United Church of Christ — have made national news by participating in organized protests against ongoing ICE operations.
The scale of that activism has been significant. Seven faith leaders were arrested at a protest outside an ICE facility in Illinois in November 2025. In January 2026, nearly 100 clergy were arrested at a single demonstration outside the Minneapolis airport. And just last month, seven Vermont clergy were arrested while protesting near the offices of an ICE targeting center.
Some clergy involved in these protests have faced physical force from Department of Homeland Security agents, with reports of protesters being struck with pepper balls and pepper rounds. Several mainline denominations, including the Episcopal Church, have also joined a growing number of lawsuits challenging different elements of the president's immigration agenda. At the same time, some evangelical pastors have publicly expressed support for ICE enforcement actions.
Battleground Races in Focus
The media markets where the Budde ad will run overlap with several closely watched congressional contests, including at least two in Iowa where Democratic candidates are themselves members of the clergy. The Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and state senator, is running for Iowa's third congressional district. The Rev. Lindsay James, a Presbyterian pastor and state representative, is campaigning for the state's second congressional district.
The "Choose Love, not ICE" campaign's previous ads have highlighted imagery from anti-ICE protests and drawn attention to what organizers describe as aggressive enforcement tactics by DHS agents. The first ad in the series, released last December, combined video clips of federal agents and police detaining immigrants and protesters — including clergy — set against the sound of a child singing the Christian hymn "O Holy Night."
Representatives for both the Republican and Democratic national committees had not responded to requests for comment on the new advertisement at the time of publication.