President Donald Trump took his oath of office on his inauguration, becoming the 47th president of the United States.
However, some on social media have wondered if Trump failed to correctly take his oath by doing so without a hand on the Bible. VERIFY reader Ruth emailed us to ask about Trump’s oath.
THE QUESTION
Does the president have to swear the oath of office on a Bible?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Constitution
- 20th Amendment to the Constitution
- National Archives
- White House Historical Association
- Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC)
THE ANSWER
No, the president does not have to swear the oath of office on a Bible.
WHAT WE FOUND
Article II of the U.S. Constitution requires the president to swear an oath of office before taking on the role of president. The Constitution does not specify how this oath should be administered, according to the National Archives.
The only requirement for the oath comes from the 20th Amendment, which says the oath must take place at noon on Jan. 20th at the start of a term. Neither the Constitution or any of its amendments require any particular ceremonies or events to take place before a president can take office.
George Washington took his oath with his hand on a Bible, and most, but not all, presidents have followed the tradition, according to both the National Archives and the White House Historical Association.
There are at least two recorded inaugurations in which the president did not swear their oath on a Bible. The first was in 1825, when John Quincy Adams took his oath “while reading a volume of law,” according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC).
President Theodore Roosevelt also did not use a Bible when he swore his oath of office in 1901, the JCCIC says. In fact, Roosevelt didn’t swear over any book at all.