In summoning people to his vision for the future, Donald Trump assembled a dizzying collage of time-honored and time-worn American myths, tropes and ideals

Legally speaking, it doesn't matter whether the U.S. president placed his hand on a bible. And he wouldn't be the first not to.

Donald Trump raised his right hand while placing his left hand on the Bible Monday afternoon. He then took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Morry Gash / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MORRY GASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Some presidents did not use a Bible to take the oath of office, including Theodore Roosevelt, who did not use anything when he was sworn into office in 1901, and John Quincy Adams, who chose a legal book for his 1825 swearing-in, to signify his responsibility to uphold the U.S. constitutional law.

Before Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in 2021, Donald J. Trump held the record for the country’s oldest commander in chief. He reclaimed the record on Monday.

During the swearing-in, Donald Trump raised his right hand and placed his left hand on the Bible. He then took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. But why do US presidents take their oath of office on the Bible?

Which president had the longest inaugural address? Which has been sworn in the most? Which ended the ceremony’s top-hat tradition? Here are some tidbits you might not know about Inauguration Day.

The president-elect promises to rule with robber baron tactics and imperial belligerence—just like his role model, William McKinley.

President Trump didn't place his hand on a Bible when he took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025. He’s not the first president to swear the oath without doing so.

As millions watched President Donald Trump’s inauguration at the White House on Monday, Jan. 20, many noticed that he did not place his left hand on a Bible while being sworn in. Now people are questioning that gesture, and wondering if the president can be sworn in without using a Bible. The answer is quite simple: Yes. Here’s why.

At a confirmation hearing, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Trump's energy vision "can be America's big stick."