When Donald Trump took the oath of office, his hand was not on the Bible, which was held by his wife Melania. Many Internet users wondered if this had any effect on the oath itself. Let’s explain.
On Monday, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. At 12:00 Polish time, he said the words of the oath recorded in Art. 2 of the US Constitution. However, as netizens quickly noticed, while the president’s right hand was raised, he did not place his left hand on the two Bibles that his wife, Melania, had by his side.
Donald Trump is not sworn to BiblePAP/EPA/Morry Gash/POOL
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Presidential Oath on the Bible in the USA
Before the inauguration, Trump himself decided to use the same Bible that the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was sworn in with in 1861, and another that Trump received from his mother as a child, according to the inaugural committee. he reported. It’s not clear why the Republican ultimately didn’t get his hands on them.
Experts believe that this is most likely an oversight that had no practical effect on the inauguration of the president. Prof. Jeremy Suri of the University of Texas noted that whether a new president swears in a Bible, a historical document, or nothing at all is irrelevant to the official inauguration. – There is no provision in the constitution that the president should in any case associate this (taking an oath) with God. The oath is based on the constitution, he told Reuters.
During his previous presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017, Donald Trump placed his left hand on two Bibles held by his wife. According to ABC News, at least four US presidents in history did not swear on the Bible.
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Main photo credit: PAP/EPA/Morry Gash/POOL
