President Donald Trump, during his latest swearing-in ceremony, did not appear to place his left hand on either of the Bibles present. The event took place in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday.
However, this detail has no impact on the legitimacy of his presidency. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mandate placing a hand on a Bible during the Oath of Office.
Article VI states presidents are bound by the oath’s words alone. It also emphasizes that no religious test is required for public office in the United States.
Before anyone gets in an uproar about President Trump’s hand not being on the Bibles he brought to the ceremony… Note that Justice Roberts started the swearing in before DJT’s family got up there and before Melania even got there with the Bibles! pic.twitter.com/MM5008g6LI
— Sheri Liberty (@Sheri_Liberty) January 20, 2025
Similarly, Article II only requires the recitation of the oath before taking office. Adding “so help me God” is customary but not legally required.
Historically, some presidents have skipped using a Bible entirely. John Quincy Adams used a volume of U.S. laws. Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use one after McKinley’s death.
Lyndon B. Johnson, sworn in on Air Force One after Kennedy’s assassination, placed his hand on a Catholic missal. It was Kennedy’s missal, not a Bible.
Calvin Coolidge recalled in his autobiography that he didn’t use his family Bible during his swearing-in. In Vermont and Massachusetts, it wasn’t common practice.
Trump, like Coolidge, had two Bibles nearby during his oath. One was his great-grandmother’s, the other Lincoln’s 1861 inaugural Bible. Melania Trump held them nearby, but it’s unclear if he intended to use them.
Most modern presidents — Biden, Obama, and even Trump previously — have used a Bible during their oaths. But, as history shows, it’s not a requirement.