President Trump did not place his hand on the Bible as he took the oath of office during his inauguration on Monday.
While first lady Melania Trump stood next to him holding two Bibles — one given to Mr. Trump by his mother when he was a child, and the Lincoln Bible, which was used at Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration — images show Mr. Trump did not put his hand on them as he was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. His right hand was raised while his left arm stayed by his side.
It’s not a legal requirement for the president to place a hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states that “all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Mr. Trump did reference God during his first remarks as the 47th president.
“I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said, referencing the assassination attempt on his life.
Vice President JD Vance placed his hand on a Bible when he took the oath of office on Monday. He used a family Bible that belonged to his maternal great-grandmother, according to Trump’s inaugural committee. Vance was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His wife, Usha Vance, held the Bible as Vance took his oath of office.
At his first inauguration in 2017, Mr. Trump did place his hand on the two Bibles — the family Bible and the Lincoln Bible — when he took the oath of office. Mr. Trump received the family Bible in 1955 to to mark his Sunday Church Primary School graduation at First Presbyterian Church, in Jamaica, Queens, according to Trump’s inaugural committee.
It was not immediately clear why Mr. Trump made his oath of office on Monday without his hand on the Bible. The president notably also has his own “God Bless the USA” Bibles — sold for $59.99 each.