President Donald Trump did not place his hand on the Bible when taking the presidential oath at his inauguration.
but why?
“Chief Justice John Roberts appears to have taken the view that 'justice delayed is justice denied.'”
A photo of the moment shows Trump standing across from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who administered the oath of office, with his right hand in the air and his left hand at his side.
Ironically, President Trump did not place his hand on the Bible. anger the leftquestioned whether the oath has any meaning if President Trump doesn't have a Bible in hand. Other anti-Trump opponents proposed President Trump did not put his hand on the Bible because he did not want the flesh of his hand to be burned off. Even David Axelrod accused Trump said he had “ignored” the Bible, suggesting the move undermined his belief that he had been spared assassination through divine intervention.
The answer to why President Trump hasn't touched the Bible is more innocent than his uncharitable critics suggest.
First, it's clear that Trump intended to take the oath of office by placing his hand on the Bible. The photo shows First Lady Melania Trump standing next to her husband holding two Bibles. One is Trump's personal Bible, which was a gift from his mother, and the other is the Lincoln Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used when taking the presidential oath in 1861.
Second, as jurist Jonathan Turley observedRoberts “moved a little too quickly” during the ceremony, beginning the oath before Trump and his family were ready.
This meant Melania Trump was not in the position.
“Chief Justice John Roberts appears to have taken the view that 'justice delayed is justice denied,' in his eagerness to begin the oath before President Trump even laid his hand on the Bible,” Turley said. he said. said.
Video of the inauguration supports this observation. It is clear that Melania Trump's first signal to move from her seat to her husband's side was when Roberts asked Trump to “raise your right hand and repeat after me.” And that's exactly what she did.
But Roberts did not allow Melania or other family members to surround Trump. Instead, he immediately began taking the oath of office.
Finally, Trump's oath of office is not invalidated because he did not touch the Bible. The Constitution does not require presidents to take the oath of office while referring to the Bible.
Despite his apparent blunder, Trump said in his inaugural address that he believed God had saved him from death.
“Only a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin's bullet sliced through my ear. But I felt then, and even more so now, that my life was meant for a reason. I was saved. I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said.
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