Donald Trump didn’t place his hand on Bible for oath during inauguration despite tradition

Donald Trump's inauguration saw him break a longstanding tradition as he was sworn into office.

Yesterday, President Trump officially returned to the White House as he was sworn into the oval office.

The event saw musicians - including Carrie Underwood, who previously told press she's 'honoured' to be a part of this 'historic event', and Nelly, who also defended the move - as well as crowds of supporters and politicians join hands to welcome Trump to office.

But there's been one detail of the day which has caused a stir among viewers.

Donald Trump did not place his hand on the Bible (Pool/Getty Images)

When Trump took his oath on yesterday (20 January), he raised his right hand, as is called for during the ceremony.

First Lady Melania stood next to him with his personal Bible, which was given to him by his mother, and the Lincoln Bible, which is the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used to take his oath in 1861.

But what came as a shock to some was that instead of placing his left hand on the two Bibles that his wife Melania was holding, he held back.

Is it a law for presidents to swear on the Bible?

The fact that Trump didn’t swear on the Bible has no impact on his presidency, as it’s not a legal requirement that absolutely has to be followed.

According to Article VI, Clause 3 of the US Constitution, everyone serving the nation in the office is bound ‘by oath or affirmation’.

It states: "But, no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

But it has led to a lot of people becoming curious about his reasons.

People were quick to question whether the ceremony was rushed, and blamed Chief Justice John Roberts for the Bible incident.

According to reports, it was the topmost searched thing on Google on Monday afternoon, with viewers wondering if he’d made a major mistake.

However, this isn’t the only tradition Trump broke for his inauguration.

It's not the only tradition which was broken (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

While the event usually takes place on the Capitol lawn, which is where it happened the first time Trump was sworn in in 2017, this year it was brought indoors.

According to a statement posted to his Truth Social site, Trump said it was due to the harsh weather conditions.

The last president to break this same tradition - and host their festivities indoors, as opposed to out in the open - was Ronald Reagan all the way back in 1985.

All the executive orders Donald Trump has signed so far

Policy recognising only 'two genders'

The president signed an order which will make it an official policy that there are only 'two genders'.

The policy reads: "Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination.

"These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality."

The order will also bring to an end 'wasteful' government programmes which promote diversity and inclusivity, as well as 'defending women from gender ideology extremism'.

Free speech

The president accused the previous administration of 'trampling free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech' and vowed to restore freedom of speech.

The order states it will 'ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen' and will 'end censorship of protected speech'.

Leaving the World Health Organisation

The president accused the organisation of fumbling the COVID-19 pandemic and said the US would no longer be 'ripped off' by it.

While signing a document to have the US leave the health agency, Trump said: "World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore.”

TikTok ban

As expected, Trump signed an executive order which hits pause on the US' ban of the popular app, allowing time for an 'appropriate course forward'.

“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” he said.

January 6 pardons

Trump's loss in the 2020 election led to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in turn resulting in the arrests of a number of Trump supporters.

And as anticipated, the president has wasted no time in issuing pardons for offenders. Trump said he's pardoned around 1,500 people and issued six commutations.

Immigration

Trump has issued a slew of immigration-related policies during his first day back in the White House as he declared illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a national emergency.

Trump has already gotten started on reversing several Biden-era immigration orders and has plans to send US troops to help immigration agents and restrict refugees.

The president has also got the wheels in motion to prevent children of immigrants in the US illegally from having citizenship.

Speaking at his inauguration, he said: "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came."

Restoring the death penalty

Calling capital punishment an 'essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes', Trump signed an order which will ensure states have enough lethal injection drugs for executions.

"The Attorney General shall pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use," the order says.

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico

Following through on his promise during a press conference earlier this month, Trump has now ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America.

"President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American Civilization,” the executive order said.

Despite the order, it won't change how it is named globally.

Energy policy

Trump has vowed to 'unleash American energy', promising to export US energy globally as he signed the order amid what he describes as a 'national energy emergency'.

"America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our Nation’s economic prosperity. In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens," the order states.

The order will also reverse Biden's ban on drilling in Alaska as Trump declared America 'will be a rich nation again'.

Cost of living

In the order, Trump vowed to issue 'emergency price relief' to Americans aimed at lowering housing prices and availability and creating 'employment opportunities for American workers'.

Trump will also 'eliminate harmful, coercive “climate” policies that increase the costs of food and fuel'.

Drug cartels

Trump has said drug cartels will now be classified as terrorist organisations.

"International cartels constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organised crime," the orders says.

Federal workers

Federal employees have now been classified as political hires - a move which in theory would make them easier to fire.

Trump also declared a federal hiring freeze which will reduce the size of federal government.