President Trump He broke with tradition on Monday when he did not place his hand on the Bible while taking the oath during his second inauguration.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath and asked Trump, who was walking toward him, to raise his right hand and repeat the words he was about to say.
Trump then raised his right hand, and as Roberts said, “I, Donald John Trump,” First Lady Melania Trump was seen approaching with a stack of Bibles.
Instead of placing his left hand on the Bibles, he kept his hand by his side and continued taking the oath while his family stood behind him.
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds Bibles during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, Monday, January 20, 2025. (Maury Gash/AP Photo, Paul)
Melania Trump was carrying two copies of the Bible – one was Lincoln's Bible and the other was her husband's personal Bible that his mother had given him when he was a child. Trump placed his hand on these two holy books when he was sworn into office in 2017.
Trump's team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on why the president did not get his hands on the Bibles.
Vice President J.D. Vance placed his hand on a Bible as he took the oath of office.
Some people on social media say Roberts rushed the swearing-in, while others seemed in disbelief that Trump did not place his hand on Bibles, a tradition dating back to President George Washington's first inauguration.
Trump will take more than 200 executive actions on day one
Donald Trump did not lay his hands on Bibles when he was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. (Julia Demaree Nickinson/AP Photo)
Although it is customary for the next president to place his hand on the Bible while taking the constitutional oath, there is nothing in the United States Constitution that requires him to do so.
In fact, presidents “shall be bound by oath or affirmation,” according to Article VI of the Constitution. The same article states: “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any public office or institution under the United States.”
Article Two of Constitution He also says a president must take an oath before taking office, though religion is not mentioned.
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States
President Donald Trump is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts in 2017. (Joe Rydell)
The Constitution specifies the exact language to be used in the 34-word oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of President of the United States, and to the best of my ability.” and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Many judges have commented on four little words, “So help me, God.” It is not legally or constitutionally required, unlike other federal sections that call for words as standard procedure. Historians have been at odds over whether President Washington set a precedent by adding the phrase on his own during his first admission, but contemporary accounts make no mention of such a lie.
Abraham Lincoln is said to have said this spontaneously in 1861, and other presidents have followed suit over the years. Traditionally, a Bible is used, with the president placing one hand on it while raising the other while taking the oath.
The Constitution also does not require the president, members of Congress, or federal judges to take the oath of office before a Supreme Court justice, although that is done only at the inauguration, most of the time.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
When Washington was first sworn into office in 1789, supreme court It had not yet been formed, so New York's highest-ranking judge did the honors at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Four years later, Associate Justice William Cushing was sworn in in Washington for a second term, beginning a Supreme Court tradition.
Fox News Channel's Shannon Brehm and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
