The tradition of swearing the oath of office on a Bible stretches back to George Washington, but not all presidents have observed it.

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.

President Donald Trump, when taking his most recent oath of office, did not appear to place his left hand on either of the Bibles brought to the swearing-in ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday.

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.

During his 2017 inauguration, Trump used both a family Bible and the so-called Lincoln Bible, belonging to America’s 16th president. In 2021, Biden used a family Bible that date

President Trump's family wasn't in place as the oath of office began, including his wife, Melania, who was holding two Bibles.

Some social media users wondered if Donald Trump not taking the oath on a religious text meant he wasn't properly sworn in.

Although it's done so often it seems like rule, is there a requirement to use a Bible during a swearing-in ceremony?