Trump Did Not Put Hand on Bible During Oath of Office

During President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, some onlookers noticed that he did not place his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office, raising questions about the role of the Bible in the ceremony.

While it is a common tradition for incoming presidents to place their hand on a Bible during the oath, it is not a legal requirement. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution explicitly states that public officials must take an oath or affirmation but does not mandate a religious test or specify that a Bible is necessary.

First Lady Melania Trump held two Bibles during the ceremony—one that had been given to the president by his mother when he was a child, and the Lincoln Bible, which was used during Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration. As the ceremony unfolded, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts directed Trump to raise his right hand and repeat after him, with Melania approaching with the Bibles. Once she arrived, Trump took the oath with his right hand raised, though his left arm remained by his side.

Though he didn’t use the Bible for the oath, Trump did reference God in his inaugural address, saying, “I was saved by God to make America great again,” a nod to the assassination attempt on his life earlier that year.

In contrast, Vice President JD Vance did place his hand on a Bible during his swearing-in. He used a family Bible that had belonged to his maternal great-grandmother. Vance, sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was accompanied by his wife, Usha, who held the Bible.

At his first inauguration in 2017, Trump did use both the family Bible and the Lincoln Bible for the oath. The family Bible had been a gift from his mother in 1955, marking his graduation from Sunday Church Primary School in Jamaica, Queens.

It remains unclear why Trump chose not to place his hand on a Bible this time around, though he has been associated with his own “God Bless the USA” Bibles, which are sold online for $59.99 each.