Leftists on social media had a predictable meltdown after President Donald Trump was sworn in during his inauguration on Monday. Protesters rallied in the streets to voice their opposition to having to live four more years under policies they despise.
Yet, there was one part of the inauguration ceremony that seemed to bother many on the left: The fact that Trump did not place his hand on the Bible as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swore him in.
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS BACK
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 20, 2025
THANK YOU JESUS pic.twitter.com/KdAnQkHrTL
Several individuals took to social media to voice their displeasure at Trump’s supposedly horrific failure to place his palm on the holy book.
Voice actor Andy Cortez in a post on X appeared to argue that Christians who voted for the president are hypocrites and would not care whether his hand was on the book.
PLEASE I am begging y'all to stop posting "trump didnt put his hand on the Bible!" as if the Christian conservatives care.
— Andy Cortez (didn't pay for the blue check) (@TheAndyCortez) January 21, 2025
Dawg they don't give a fuck lol they know they voted for a rapist and they don't care. Nothing will phase them.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump organization struggling for relevance,” noted that Trump did not “put his small hand on the Bible when he took the oath of office.”
He didn’t put his small hand on the Bible when he took the oath of office. pic.twitter.com/qUL723Unw1
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 20, 2025
Media personality Karly Kingsley also chimed in, asking Christians to explain why Trump did not place his hand on the Bible.
Hey Christians, I have a question…why didn’t Trump put his hand on The Bible?
— Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley) January 20, 2025
Another user named Scottie Beam took aim specifically at White Christians over the supposed controversy.
Anyone care to ask the white christians why trump didn’t put his hand on the Bible?
— Scottie (@ScottieBeam) January 21, 2025
Democratic strategist and author David Axelrod said it’s “curious” that Trump wouldn’t place his hand on the Bible after discussing his “near death experience after being targeted by an assassin’s bullet as divine intervention.”
It's curious that Trump, who spoke about his near death experience after being targeted by an assassin's bullet as divine intervention, neglected to put his hand on the Bible when he took the oath.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) January 20, 2025
I can only imagine the torrent of comment if @BarackObama had done the same.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter. The Constitution still says Trump is the president whether he touched the Bible while taking the oath of office or not.
The U.S. Constitution does not stipulate that a president-to-be place his or her hand on a Bible when taking the Oath, because each president who recites this oath or affirmation is “bound” by the words themselves, per Article VI. The same article also says that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Article II, meanwhile, merely states that the chief executive of the United States must recite the oath before being able to take office. (Interestingly, there is also no stipulation that the oath of office end with “so help me God,” though it has become customary.)
Throughout history, there have also been several presidents who were not sworn in using a Bible. Among them, John Quincy Adams brought a “volume” of U.S. laws, and Theodore Roosevelt didn’t swear on a Bible when he was hastily sworn into office after William McKinley’s death. During Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration on Air Force One — only hours after John F. Kennedy’s assassination — he placed his hand on a Catholic missal (a book containing text used for religious services) belonging to the former president.
Moreover, it’s worth pointing out that not placing one’s hand on the Bible while being sworn in does not make one less of a Christian. The video footage shows Roberts starting the swearing in before Trump has a chance to put his hand on the Bible – likely because he wished to ensure they met the 12 pm ET deadline for swearing in a president.
It was a rushed process that signifies absolutely nothing. Besides, since when have leftists cared about Christian values? Are they not always arguing in favor of separation between the church and state? Maybe they should be praising Trump for not placing his hand on a book they revile instead of pretending to be outraged by it.
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