Contrary to American tradition, Donald Trump did not place his hand on the Bible during his oath as part of the inauguration ceremony this Monday, January 20. In fact, the Constitution does not require it.
At the Capitol in Washington DC, new President Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday, January 20, swearing to protect the American Constitution while in office. But he did not put his hand on the two Bibles that the First Lady, Melania Trump, was holding next to him.
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully serve as President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States,” the 47th President of the United States said, the right hand raised and the left hand along the body.
If American tradition dictates that the president-elect places his hand on the Bible while taking the oath during his inauguration, nothing obliges him to do so, points out the American press. The Constitution stipulates that “no religious text shall ever be required as a condition of access to any office or public office in the United States.” The president only needs to take the oath by reciting the specific words.
-Donald Trump is not the first
He is not the first to ignore this convention, by forgetting or by choice. The sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams (1825-1829), used a law book for his oath, while the 26th, Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), used nothing at all. After the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson used a Catholic missal while aboard the presidential plane Air Force One.
If Donald Trump did not lay his hands on the Bibles, he had nevertheless carefully chosen them. One was given to him by his late mother in 1955 at his elementary school graduation and the other was the Bible used by President Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861.
His vice-president JD Vance, for his part, followed tradition: when taking the oath, before Donald Trump, he placed his right hand on a Bible held by his wife, Usha Vance, near their three children.
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