Trump did not put his hand on the Bible at the inauguration. Here’s what you need to know about the tradition.

Some onlookers noted that President Donald Trump did not put his hand on the Bible when he was sworn into his initiationwhich raises questions about how the Bible traditionally includes the ceremony.

While it is common for presidents-to-be to place their hand on a Bible while taking the oath of office, it is not a legal requirement.

Article VI of the United States Constitution states that “all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and 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.”

First Lady Melania Trump had two Bibles — one given to Mr. Trump by his mother when he was a child and the Lincoln Bible used at Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration.

Supreme Court Justice John Roberts asked Mr. Trump to raise his right hand and repeat after him, while Mrs. Trump still approached with the Bibles. Mrs Trump arrived alongside her husband moments later before he began reciting the oath of office.

Mr. Trump’s right hand was raised while his left arm remained at his side as he was sworn in.

Mr. Trump referred to God during his first remarks as the 47th president.

“I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said in his opening speechwhich refers to the assassination attempt on his life over the summer.

Vice President JD Vance placed his hand on a Bible as he took the oath of office on Monday. He used a family Bible that belonged to his maternal great-grandmother, according to Trump’s inauguration committee. Vance was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His wife, Usha Vance, held the Bible as Vance took his oath of office.

At his first inauguration in 2017, Mr. Trump put his hand on the two Bibles – the Family Bible and the Lincoln Bible – when he took the oath of office. Mr. Trump received the family Bible in 1955 to mark his Sunday church elementary school graduation at First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, according to Trump’s inaugural committee.

It was not immediately clear why Mr. Trump took his oath of office on Monday without his hand on the Bible. The president especially also has his own “God Bless America” ​​Bibles – retails for $59.99 each.