Trump didn't place hand on the Bible during oath-taking—does it matter?
When United States president Donald Trump was sworn in during his inauguration on Jan. 21 (Philippine time), he was seen not placing his hand on the Bible.
Traditionally, incoming presidents who take their oath of office lay their left hand on a closed Bible, held by a significant person, while they raise their right hand as they say the following:
"I, (name), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God."
But is Trump's move, which was unlike his predecessor Joe Biden's, acceptable? From a legal perspective, it is.
Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states that "all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
In the case of Trump, a Protestant, he took the oath as usual, save for the laying of hand.
First Lady Melania Trump held two bibles: one given by the US president's mother when he was a child and the Lincoln Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in his inauguration in 1861.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts directed Trump to raise his right hand and repeat the oath after him.
Curiously, Trump placed his hand on two bibles, his family Bible and the Lincoln Bible, during his inauguration in 2017.
He got the family Bible in 1955 to mark his Sunday Church Primary School graduation at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica in Queens, according to his inaugural committee.
It wasn't immediately clear why Trump did away with the laying of hand on the Bible this time.
Nevertheless, Trump mentioned God during his first remarks as the 47th US president.
"I was saved by God to make America great again," he said in his inaugural address, pertaining to the assassination attempt against him last year.
Conversely, Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, laid his hand on the Bible during oath-taking.
Philippine practice
The Philippines is also observing the practice, though the 1987 Constitution doesn't require using a Bible during the oath-taking ceremony.
But as a predominantly Catholic country, past Philippine presidents have made it a point to do so and it has since become tradition.
The tradition is known to have started on Dec. 30, 1953, during the inauguration of Ramon Magsaysay at the Independence Grandstand (now Quirino Grandstand) in Manila.
During the oath-taking, the president traditionally lays their left hand on a closed Bible and raises their right hand as they say: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President (or Vice-President or Acting President) of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God."
In case of affirmation, the constitution's Article VII Section 5 states that the last sentence is omitted. This is in line with the principle of the separation of Church and State, as well as Section 5 of the Bill of Rights which states that no religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.
There's also a Filipino version of the oath, which President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. used during his inauguration in 2022: "Ako, si (pangalan), ay taimtim na nanunumpa, na tutuparin ko nang buong katapatan at sigasig ang aking mga tungkulin bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, pangangalagaan at ipagtatanggol ang kaniyang Konstitusyon, ipatutupad ang mga batas nito, magiging makatarungan sa bawat tao, at itatalaga ang aking sarili sa paglilingkod sa bansa. Kasihan nawa ako ng Diyos."
He took his oath as the country's 17th chief executive using the Bible his father and namesake swore on during his inauguration in 1965.
Personal or historical significance
The Bible the Philippine presidents used for their oath-taking also has a personal or historical significance.
In the case of Magsaysay, he used two Bibles, one each from his mother and father's side.
In 1965, Marcos' father and namesake also used two Bibles—one owned by his father Mariano Marcos and another given by his wife Imelda.
In 1986, Corazon Aquino swore on a Bible owned by Aurora Aquino, the mother of her husband Ninoy. Her son Noynoy used the same Bible during his inauguration in 2010.
In 2004, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took her oath using the Bible used by her father, president Diosdado Macapagal, in 1961.
In 2016, Rodrigo Duterte swore on the Bible of his mother Soledad.
Significant people as Bible holders
The tradition is also known to include significant people holding the Bible for the president during oath-taking.
The Bible holders are usually the spouses. In the case of Fidel V. Ramos, his wife Amelita Ramos held it for him during his inauguration in 1992. Ramos, though he's the first non-Catholic president of the country, still kept with the tradition.
In 1998, Loi Estrada held the Bible for her husband Joseph “Erap” Estrada, while Mike Arroyo held the Bible for his wife Gloria.
Other presidents also opted for different personalities to hold the Bible for them, like Carlos Garcia, who in 1957 had Bohol Gov. Juan Pajo, a fellow Boholano, beside him.
Corazon's mother-in-law Aurora held the Bible for her, while Noynoy had Jesuit theologian Fr. Catalino Arevalo.
Duterte's youngest daughter Kitty took the role of a Bible holder then.
As for Marcos, the Bible he swore on was placed on a lectern while his wife Liza and children Sandro, Simon, and Vincent were beside him.
