[Photo: Morry Gash/Pool/AP] On Monday, January 20th, 2025, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. During the inauguration ceremony, the President-elect takes the Oath of Office, this oath is written in the United States Constitution. The oath promises to protect the Constitution, it reads, “I (presidents full 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.”  The Chief Justice usually administers the oath, and their role is to ensure a peaceful transition of power. As the President-elect repeats after the Chief Justice, the oath is ended with “so help me God.” However, that is not written in the Constitution and is just followed as tradition. This oath is usually taken with the right hand up and left hand on the Bible or the President-elect’s text of choice. This tradition was started by President George Washington and has been followed by most presidents.  President John Quincy Adams swore his oath on a book of law instead of the Bible in 1825. After the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 his successor President Theodore Roosevelt took the oath in a private ceremony in Buffalo, New York and there was no Bible available. In 1963, after the assassination of President Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson had to take the oath on Air Force One and he used a Catholic missal, because a Bible was not immediately available. These special circumstances are the only times presidents have not used a Bible while taking their oath. Although, this is a tradition that was started in 1789, it is not required by the Constitution that a Bible is used or that their hand be placed on the president’s text of choice.  The President’s wife usually holds the Bible during the Oath of Office, as a symbolic gesture of unity and support. However, this is not a requirement, and if the president does not have a wife, other family members, […]

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