No, Donald Trump didn’t have his hand on the Bible, but that doesn’t invalidate his oath of office
When Donald Trump was sworn in on January 20 as the 47th president of the United States, social media users noted that he didn’t put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office, contrary to tradition. Some have claimed that his failure to do so invalidates his oath. However, the United States Constitution doesn’t require a president-to-be to put his hand on the Bible during his swearing in.
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Is Donald Trump’s oath of office legitimate if he didn’t place his left hand on the Bible while taking it? Social media users on X and Facebook have been asking that question in recent days. Traditionally, the United States president-to-be places his left hand on the Bible while being sworn in.
X user Jarvis Best shared a tweet on January 20 featuring a photo and post from Fact Post News, a pro-Democrat account. The photo shows Trump taking his oath. His wife, Melania, stands next to him holding two Bibles but Trump doesn’t place his hand on either (see below). Best’s tweet has since garnered more than 270,000 views.
“INVALID SWEARING IN. BIDEN STILL PRESIDENT,” reads the caption on Best’s tweet.
Some Facebook users also claimed that Trump’s oath was invalid. Some went so far as to cite a law… that doesn’t exist: "Trump did not put his hand on the Bible. According to the law it says If you don't place your hand on the Bible the election results are invalid and the previous president gets a 2nd term. Section 4 subsection D, paragraph 14", claimed a Facebook account, on January 20.
These claims are false. There is no law that the president needs to put his hand on the Bible. It is merely a tradition, not a constitutional obligation.
What does the Constitution say?
Article 2, Section I, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution contains the words of the oath that the president-to-be must take. However, there is no mention of the Bible (see the image below).
Moreover, the first amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1787, guarantees the separation of Church and State, confirming that the use of the Bible is a tradition and not an obligation.
Where does this tradition come from?
The tradition of placing a hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office goes all the way back to George Washington, the first president of the United States. Over the centuries, most – but not all – presidents have copied this tradition.
Lyndon Johnson, for example, took his hurried oath of office on a Catholic missal that had belonged to John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated that day, noted an article in the New York Times from January 20, 2025.. Similarly, Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use a Bible when he was hurriedly sworn in after his predecessor, William McKinley, was assassinated.
Presidents John Quincy Adams and Franklin Pierce also didn’t use a Bible during their respective inaugurations in 1825 and 1853.