Key Takeaways:
– President Donald Trump took the oath of office on January 20, 2025, without placing his hand on the Bible. This incident sparked controversy and criticism.
– Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was the one administering the oath. He moved rather quickly without waiting for Melania Trump to offer the Bible, leading to the unprecedented mishap.
– Despite the criticism and public chatter, constitutional experts affirm this does not affect the legality of Trump’s presidency.
– This incident marks Trump as the first president in over a century to not put his hand on the Bible during the oath-taking ceremony.
Unusual Oath Ceremony Spurs Reaction and Controversy
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump got inaugurated for his second term in office. The ceremony witnessed a significant departure from tradition. President Trump did not put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office.
The Flurry of Events and Reactions
When Chief Justice Roberts began administering the oath, Melania Trump was about to offer the Bible for President Trump to place his hand on, a tradition followed by all U.S presidents for over 100 years. But Roberts moved ahead with the oath before she could do so. As a result, President Trump took the oath without his hand on the Bible, stirring up negative sentiments and several conspiracy theories among his critics, particularly those leaning toward the left.
Comments and Reaction on Social Media
Many social media users quickly noticed and criticized this deviation from tradition. One social media user said, “Great. Just great. No hand on the Bible. Melania tried to get it close to him but Roberts and Trump didn’t notice.” The user further added, “Now we get 4 more years of people saying he’s not President, and 4 more years of people saying he’s the AntiChrist.”
Legal and Constitutional Perspectives
Despite the public backlash, legal and constitutional experts affirm that there’s no need for a redo. “The Chief Justice moved a tad too quickly before Trump could put his hand on the Bible,” explained a well-known constitutional expert. He clarified that while the tradition was unintentionally undermined, it doesn’t affect the legality of Trump’s presidency.
Past Occurrences with Chief Justice Roberts
Interestingly, it is not the first time Chief Justice Roberts has been part of an oath-taking controversy. Years ago, he jumbled Barack Obama’s oath of office, shifting the word “faithfully” to a different place than prescribed by the Constitution. Ultimately, they rectified it later in the day with Obama speaking the correct words in the correct order.
Public Expectations and Suggestions
As President Trump begins his second term, some people suggest having Trump do the oath again with his hand on the Bible. Even though there is no legal necessity for this, they believe this step would help clear any doubts or controversy. As it stands now, Trump has become the first President of the United States in over 100 years to not put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office. This has made history, though likely not in the way his administration intended.
While this unintentional break from tradition has set the social media ablaze with discussions, debates, and conspiracy hypotheses, it’s important to underline that according to legal and constitutional experts, this oversight doesn’t impact the legality of President Trump’s continuing term in office. However, it remains to be seen whether the administration will address this public controversy caused by the unusual oath-taking ceremony or choose to ignore it.