Trump had two Bibles by his side, but he didn't place hand on them to take the oath

While US President Donald Trump had two bibles at his disposal, he did not place his hand on either of them while taking oath at his inauguration ceremony. During the oath-taking ceremony, First Lady Melania Trump stood next to Trump with two Bibles in her hands. However, while the 47th President of the United States raised his right hand to take the oath, her missed out putting his left on the bible.

The move garnered severe attention online with many claiming that the POTUS simply forgot to put his hands on the bibles. They also pointed out that Chief Justice John Roberts who administered the oath also forgot to ask Trump to put his left hand on the bible.

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Trump used two Bibles at his inaugural ceremony. One was given to him by his mother after he graduated from the Sunday school. The other one was the Lincoln Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used to take the oath of office in 1861.

Perhaps it’s because John Roberts screwed up by not waiting for Trump’s family to be by his side before telling to raise his right but not telling him to place his hand on the bible. Roberts was clearly in a rush. pic.twitter.com/FvTNs8MifD

— suzy (@Suzy_1776) January 20, 2025

The move left some by surprise since during his first inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, Trump placed his right hand atop two Bibles held by the first lady as Roberts swore him in as the 45th president. Meanwhile, his second-in-command, Vice President JD Vance also placed his hands on the Bible which was held by his wife, Usha Vance.

Trump’s bibles carried history

Trump is not the first American president to use two Bibles in his inaugural ceremony. Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon and Barack Obama all took the oath with two in hand. The Lincoln Bible is quite popular among American leaders. Former President Barack Obama used Lincoln’s Bible to swear on twice.

According to the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Bible is a burgundy, velvet-bound book that was serendipitously used in the 16th president’s swearing-in because his “family Bible was packed with other belongings that still were en route to Washington from Springfield, Illinois."

Meanwhile, Trump’s personal Bible is a 1953 Revised Standard Version edition that his mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, gave him after he graduated from his Sunday school at age 9 in 1955. His name is embossed on the front of the Bible and “the inside cover is signed by church officials,” Trump’s inaugural team said in a statement.

During the inauguration ceremony, Vice President-elect JD Vance is also leaning into his family roots. He will swear on a King James Version passed down from his maternal great-grandmother who he fondly called “Mamaw” Bonnie in 2003. According to the inaugural committee, the bible was gifted to him when he left home for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina.