No, Trump didn’t put his hand on the Bible while being sworn in – but there is precedent for it
Donald Trump broke tradition during his swearing-in ceremony by not placing his hand on the Bible. (Morry Gash/AFP via Getty Images)
People watching Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday (20 January) noticed that he did not place his hand on the Bible during the swearing-in ceremony.
As her husband took the oath of office, Melania Trump held two Bibles by his side. But he never put his hand on either book, leaving some to wonder if the ceremony “counted” or not.
“No hand on the Bible. Does that mean he is not president?” Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko joked.
However, it is not a legal requirement to touch the Bible during the ceremony, although it is usual for incoming presidents to do so.
“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,” Article VI of the constitution states.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to Donald Trump Monday.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) January 20, 2025
As he was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Trump did not place his hand on the Bible, which was held by first lady Melania Trump at his side.
The inauguration ceremony,… pic.twitter.com/bwDcKkHYWR
And presidential scholar Jeremi Suri reiterated that, telling Reuters: “There’s nothing in the constitution that says the president has to connect this to God in any way. The oath is to the constitution.” Trump had chosen the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used in 1861 and one given to him by his mother, a member of his transition team told the news agency.
Additionally, this is not the first time an incoming president has not sworn the oath on a Bible. Neither John Quincy Adams nor Teddy Roosevelt did so, and, following the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon Johnson put his hand on a book of Catholic texts, belonging to the slain president, when he took the oath of office aboard Air Force One, The Hill pointed out.
Trump used the first day of his second term to launch attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, issuing an executive order proclaiming that there are “only two sexes”. The US will now only recognise “male” and “female” and these that are “unchangeable”. The legislation requires government IDs, including passports and visas, to show a person’s biological sex as “either male or female”.
He has also promised to enact a ban on trans women in female sports, reinstate his previous block on trans officers serving in the armed forces and to crack down on LGBTQ+-inclusive education.
Advocacy not-for-profit organisation GLAAD has claimed that Trump has launched at least 225 attacks on LGBTQ+ rights since becoming president fort the first time, in 2017, including slashing funds for HIV/Aids research and appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court.
GLAAD’s president and chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis said: “LGBTQ+ people are in all states, communities, families and workplaces, and leaders should include and protect us with the fundamental freedoms all Americans enjoy.
“Together, we must hold the incoming administration to the promise of equal justice under law, and resist threats to our basic American right to live freely and with dignity.”
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