In the early days of Trump’s administration, cruelty quickly became a defining feature. As the nation grappled with fear and uncertainty, Bishop Mariann E. Budde, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, courageously spoke out. She offered a plea for mercy—not as a demand, but as an appeal to the humanity of those in power.

“To plea for mercy is actually a very humbling thing to do,” Bishop Budde reflected. “I wasn’t demanding anything of him. I was pleading with him, like, can you see the humanity of these people? Can you acknowledge that there are people in this country who are scared? … If not him, if not the president, could others?”

Her words fell on deaf ears. Trump and his allies, including J.D. Vance, not only dismissed her plea but took offense. It was a stark reminder that, in their vision for governance, there seemed to be no room for compassion or humanity.

The rejection of Bishop Budde’s plea was more than a refusal to acknowledge the suffering of millions—it was a deliberate statement of values. And for many Americans, it signaled the troubling reality of an administration driven by division and devoid of mercy.