When Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president on January 20, 2025, something caught people’s attention: He didn’t seem to put his left hand on the Bible during the ceremony. The two Bibles that were nearby, one from his great-grandmother and the other used by Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration, weren’t actually touched by Trump’s hand.
However, this doesn’t change anything about the validity of his oath or his return to the White House.
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t require a president to place a hand on a Bible while taking the Oath of Office. Article II simply says the president must swear or affirm an oath to “faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.” It doesn’t mention the Bible at all. In fact, the Constitution also says there’s no religious test for office, so any religious symbols are purely a personal choice.
In case you’re wondering, there’s also no rule saying the president has to end the oath with “so help me God” — though it’s become a tradition over time.
It’s not the first time a president hasn’t used a Bible. John Quincy Adams used a book of U.S. laws instead, and Theodore Roosevelt took the oath without one when he was hastily sworn into office after President McKinley’s assassination. Lyndon B. Johnson swore in on a Catholic missal, a prayer book, when he was sworn in on Air Force One after JFK’s death. Calvin Coolidge also didn’t use a Bible when he was sworn in at home after Harding’s death.
Like Coolidge, Trump had two Bibles nearby, but it’s unclear whether he meant to place his hand on them. Regardless, whether or not a Bible is used doesn’t affect the legitimacy of the oath or the presidency itself. Most modern presidents, including Biden, Obama, and Trump during his first term, have chosen to place their hands on the Bible, even though there’s no rule that says they have to.
