On the day after President Trump’s inauguration, Marian Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, spoke directly to the president, who was sitting in the first row of the National Cathedral.

On the campaign trail, Trump had claimed that he had been saved by God from assassination so he could make American great again. His words prompted Budde to plead, “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” She mentioned “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and Independent families across the country who fear for their lives.”

She also asked for mercy for immigrants. “… the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors.”

Trump sat in the pew stewing and glaring. He never tolerates being confronted, especially by a woman. He prefers masses of rabid fans cheering his every pronouncement and religious leaders claiming that God wanted him to be president and spineless politicians willing to bow to his every whim.

Rev. Franklin Graham is Trump’s kind of preacher. During his prayer at the inauguration, Graham intoned, “Our Father, today as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again, we come to say thank you, O Lord our God. Father, when Donald Trump’s enemies thought he was down and out, You and You alone, saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by Your mighty hand.”

The Rev. Lorenzo Sewell of the 180 Church in Detroit, who offered the benediction at the inauguration, shares Graham’s unabashed adoration of Trump. Sewell spoke of a “millimeter miracle,” referring to a would-be assassin’s bullet that grazed Trump’s ear at a campaign rally. “We are grateful you are the one who has called him for such a time as this, that America would begin to dream again.” Trump gave Sewell a hug as he was leaving the stage.

Not surprisingly, President Trump came out firing the day after Bishop Budde’s plea for mercy.

“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater. She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart. She failed to mention the large number of illegal immigrants that came into our country and killed people. Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions…Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job. She and her church owe the pubic an apology.”

Hmmm, I guess Trump is fine with religious leaders who enter the political arena if they do so on his side of the aisle.

Hardcore Trump fans and the right wing media blasted the bishop for being “disrespectful” to the president. One wonders if asking for mercy for the marginalized and oppressed is being disrespectful, but I digress. One Republican Congressman even called for the Bishop to be deported.

Let’s offer a few Bible verses to help us decide which person best emulates the teachings of Jesus Christ, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, or Marian Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

“Again I tell you. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” (Isiah 58:6-7)

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

Incidentally, it’s ironic that Bishop Budde offered her pleas to President Trump from inside the National Cathedral, very near where Trump stood holding a Bible (upside down) after he’d brought in the military to quell a protest.

In my view, Benjamin Cremer, a Wesleyan pastor and writer from Iowa, sums up the situation. “When you worship power, compassion and mercy will look like sins.”

Millions of Americans might do well to ask themselves, “Am I following Christianity or Trumpanity?”

A final thought: Trump said that the bishop and the Episcopal Church should apologize to him. Sorry, Mr. President, but you’re wrong. Who should apologize? You should, for openers. Also, every American should apologize who voted for a proven con man (and narcissist) who led an insurrection on the Capitol, released prisoners who assaulted police officers, stocked his new administration with billionaires (after pretending he was fighting for the common man), nominated totally unqualified people for top positions and made revenge on his political opponents his top priority. Moreover, he’s now doing everything in his power to destroy the very foundations of our judicial system and our democracy, cut ties with our allies and enrich himself in every possible way. In sum, lots of apologies are in order.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadwe575@aol.com.