BEST BUDDEY
Who is Bishop Mariann Budde’s husband Paul and how many children do they have?
Paul’s wife Mariann first clashed with Trump in 2020
MARIANN Budde is the current Bishop of Washington and she is supported in her duty by her dear husband Paul.
The bishop made headlines when she called for Trump to show “mercy” to LGBTQ Americans and asylum seekers, which led the president to brand her as “nasty”.
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Mariann became the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDW) in November 2011, and continues to serve in the role today (as of January 2025)
She is the first woman to be elected to the role.
The EDW states she is a "passionate believer in the gospel of Jesus" and believes Christ calls all who follow him to "respect the dignity of every human being".
Marital bliss
Mariann is married to Paul Budde.
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He rarely features on his wife's Instagram - although he is obviously a keen cyclist.
She posted a picture in August 2022 of the pair of them with bikes against a mountain backdrop captioned: "One moment is a week with Paul Budde."
This was just nine months after she thanked him for helping her get back on her bike.
She posted: "The scariest thing my father asked me to do when I was a kid was to get back on my horse after a fall.
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"I thought of him today as I rode my bike for the first time after a bad fall in August.
"With thanks to a great surgeon, lots of support from family and friends, and Paul, my riding companion through life, who helped me get over the yips."
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Paul and Mariann have two adult sons together, Amos and Patrick.
Amos is married to Erika, with the EDW website stating that Mariann and Paul are "proud and doting grandparents".
Fearless political commentator
Mariann is outspoken when it comes to politics and first made headlines in June 2020.
She criticized the use of tear gas by police and National Guard troops to clear the grounds of St John’s Episcopal Church to allow Donald Trump to pose for a photo in front of the religious building.
The Bishop said that the then-president used the Church as a “backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus”.
The Department of the Interior’s Inspector General reporter later said that the park was cleared for a contractor to install fencing.
It was later stated by the Chief of the US Park Police that smoke canisters were used, not tear gas canisters, though some news outlets reported that the latter were found at the scene.
Feud with Trump
Mariann made headlines again on January 21, 2025, when she delivered a sermon at the National Cathedral.
At one point during the sermon, she directly addressed Donald Trump.
She said: "Let me make one final plea, Mr President.
“Millions have put their trust in you.
“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.”
Mariann added that she believes asylum seekers make valuable contributions to America.
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Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to brand Bishop Budde a “radical left hardline Trump hater” and said that she was “nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart”.
Republican congressman Mike Collins said that Mariann’s call for mercy meant that she should be “added to the deportation list”.
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