Elon Musk has branded Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's words 'disgraceful' after she urged President Donald Trump to 'show mercy' on the LGBTQ community in a prayer service.
Elon Musk and the wider Republican Party's targeting of LGBTQ individuals alongside so-called 'woke' political beliefs is well known, and the X CEO has once again used his far reaching social media platform to brand those looking to 'show mercy' as 'disgraceful'.
The richest man in the world has been a close ally of President Trump for many months now, supporting him during his election campaign and remaining a key part of his post-victory plans. This includes a new role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has pledged to unilaterally cut funding for DEI and LGBTQ initiatives.
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Many right wing individuals including Musk have thus become enraged at a plea from Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at the inaugural prayer service, as she begged the President and his team to think carefully about their actions involving LGBTQ Americans.
Budde petitioned at the service: "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."
This genuine and innocuous plea hasn't exactly gone down well with many conservatives, with political strategist Scott Jennings remarking on CNN that "the bishop politicized the church, and it was frankly a disgrace."
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Musk shortly replied in agreement, declaring that "it was indeed disgraceful," though he has received a lot of pushback from social media, with many coming to support Budde's words and actions.
One user hit back against Musk, pointing out: "This Nazi salute is what was disgraceful. The brave bishop spoke truth to power." This was, of course, accompanied by a photo of Musk allegedly performing the Nazi gesture on stage at the inauguration, which has received widespread criticism.
Others have outlined that Budde's actions are "what courage looks like" and "heroic," and another user has argued that "standing up to Donald Trump right in his face," is far braver than what 'more powerful' individuals like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Tim Cook have achieved.
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Some have even leaned on the logical and legal circumstances to condemn Musk's fury, asserting: "It's a church. Freedom of religion [is] just like freedom of speech. Both are in the first amendment remember."
This hasn't stopped both President Trump and Vice President Vance from showing their anger during the service though, and some of the former's first executive orders which target transgender individuals give a pessimistic outlook to the future of LGBTQ rights in the U.S.