President Donald Trump didn’t place his hand on the Bible during his oath of office at his second inauguration as the 47th U.S. President on January 20, 2025. This marked a break from recent presidential conventions. As this occurred, First Lady Melania Trump held two Bibles next to him.
Chief Justice John Roberts facilitated the ceremony, during which Trump raised his right hand but kept his left arm at his side as he pledged the 35-word constitutional oath. The First Lady held both the Lincoln Bible, previously used by Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama during their inaugurations, and a family Bible presented to Trump by his mother.
Observers noted that the oath’s timing seemed hurried, with Chief Justice Roberts initiating it before Melania Trump was fully positioned with the Bibles. Witness accounts suggest that “Because Chief Justice Roberts started the oath before Melanie got there, so they just went with it. She got there about halfway through but by that time, Trump was already doing it that way, and just continued on.”
The administration of the oath ignited diverse reactions on social media, with many recalling Chief Justice Roberts’ verbal mistake during President Obama’s 2009 oath that required a second private ceremony in the Oval Office.
Some social media users were indifferent to the controversy, highlighting that the presence of the Lincoln Bible, at Trump’s request, signified his respect for the tradition.
The debate was further fueled by religious observers and evangelical commentators who cited Matthew 5’s teachings on oaths, emphasizing that past presidents who placed their hand on the Bible during the oath faced criticism for their actions while in office.
Constitutional experts point out that the practice of placing a hand on the Bible during the presidential oath has been a tradition since George Washington’s 1789 inauguration but is not legally obligatory. The Constitution only necessitates that the incoming president take the oath to faithfully execute office duties and uphold the Constitution. When Washington set the tradition, he used the altar Bible from a Masonic Lodge and kissed it after the oath.
Vice President JD Vance, sworn in before Trump, adhered to the traditional format by placing his hand on a Bible owned by his maternal great-grandmother during his oath. His wife, Usha, held the Bible throughout the ceremony.
Historical records indicate that there have been instances of presidents taking the oath without using a Bible. John Quincy Adams and Theodore Roosevelt were among four previous presidents who opted for alternative methods. Adams used a law book, while Roosevelt used no book when sworn in after William McKinley’s 1901 assassination.
During his inaugural address following the oath, Trump referred to his survival of an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, claiming that “I was saved by God to make America great again.”
