President Trump defied tradition on Monday by not placing his hand on the Bible as he took the oath of office at his second inauguration ceremony.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath and told President Trump, who walked toward him, to raise his right hand and repeat what he was about to say.
Trump then raised his right hand and Roberts said, “I, Donald John Trump,” as first lady Melania Trump approached carrying a bundle of Bibles.
Rather than resting his left hand on the Bible, he placed his hand at his side and continued to take the oath of office as his family filed in behind him.
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Donald Trump is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds a Bible during the inauguration of the 60th president in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. (Molly Gash) /AP Photo, Pool)
Melania Trump had two Bibles. One was a Lincoln Bible and the other was my husband’s personal Bible given to him by his mother when he was a child. Trump placed his hand on both Bibles when he took the oath of office in 2017.
Trump’s team did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on why the president did not place his hand on the Bible.
Vice President J.D. Vance did indeed place his hand on the Bible during his oath of office.
Some on social media say Roberts rushed the oath, but others are in disbelief that Trump did not place his hand on the Bible, a tradition dating back to George Washington’s first inauguration. It seems there are some.
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Donald Trump did not place his hand on the Bible as he took the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States. (Julia Demaree Nickinson/AP Photo)
It is traditional for incoming presidents to place their hands on the Bible when taking the oath of office, but there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution requiring them to do so.
In fact, according to Article 6 of the Constitution, the president is “bound by oath or affirmation.” That article states that “no religious examination shall ever be required as qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
Article 2 of the constitution also states that the president must take an oath before assuming office, but does not mention religion.
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President Donald Trump (Joe Radle) takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in 2017
The Constitution sets out the exact words to be used in the 34-word oath of office. “I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and to the best of my ability,” preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. ”
Many judges added four little words: “So help me, God.” Unlike other federal oaths that invoke this language as standard procedure, it is not legally or constitutionally required. Historians disagree as to whether President Washington set a precedent by adding the phrase himself at the time of the original acceptance, but modern accounts make no mention of such an ad-lib.
Abraham Lincoln was reported to have spontaneously said the phrase in 1861, and other presidents have followed suit over the years. The Bible is traditionally used, with presidents placing one hand on the Bible and raising the other hand during the oath of office.
Additionally, although the Constitution does not require presidents, members of Congress, or federal judges to be sworn in by Supreme Court justices, in most cases the oath is required only at inauguration ceremonies.
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When Washington took his first oath of office in 1789, the Supreme Court had not yet been established, so New York’s highest-ranking justice took the oath of honor at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Four years later, Associate Justice William Cushing was sworn in for a second term in Washington, beginning a Supreme Court tradition.
FOX News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Greg Wenner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and @GregWehner on Twitter.
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