Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, during the prayer service at Washington National Cathedral, directed a message for President Donald Trump, who was seated in the front row.

"Let me make one final plea. Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you said, you have felt the providential hand of our loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," she said.

Budde said there are LGBTQ citizens of all political creeds who now 'fear for their lives." She also referenced migrants who may not be in the U.S. legally but are devoted neighbors, workers and parents.

"Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land," she said.

Trump was later asked what he thought about the service.

"Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service, no," Trump said to reporters.

Rep. Elise Stefanik is facing senators for her confirmation hearing to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats over the utility of global organizations has taken center stage. Stefanik zeroed in on reform.

“Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism,” she said. “We must invest in programs to strengthen our national security and deliver results to increase the efficacy of U.N. programs. We must drive reform.”

She also defended Trump's decision to withdraw from another global body: the World Health Organization.

“I support President Trump's decision to walk away from WHO,” she said, arguing it had “failed on a global stage in the Covid pandemic for all the world to see, and instead spewed CCP talking points that I believe led to not only false information, but dangerous and deadly information across the globe.”

-ABC's Shannon Kingston

Episcopal Church leaders on Tuesday released a letter urging Trump to "exercise mercy" in his approach to immigration policy.

While the service Trump is currently attending incorporates many faiths, the National Cathedral itself is part of the Episcopal Diocese in Washington.

"Even as we gave thanks for a peaceful transfer of power, we learned from news reports that the new presidential administration has issued a series of executive orders that are a harbinger of President Trump’s pledge to deport undocumented immigrants at a historic scale, restrict asylum, and direct other immigration actions," the church leaders wrote in a letter.

"We read this news with concern and urge our new president and congressional leaders to exercise mercy and compassion, especially toward law-abiding, long-term members of our congregations and communities; parents and children who are under threat of separation in the name of immigration enforcement; and women and children who are vulnerable to abuse in detention and who fear reporting abuse to law enforcement."

President Trump and Vice President Vance are attending an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral.

It's the first public appearance for Trump since Monday night's inaugural festivities.

First lady Melania Trump, second lady Usha Vance and Trump's children are there as well.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler are some of the lawmakers in attendance.