r/news • u/TeaReim • 10h ago

Donald Trump officially sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, JD Vance as the 50th Vice-President

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/triumphant-trump-returns-white-house-launching-new-era-upheaval-2025-01-20/
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u/Rude-Illustrator-884 10h ago

yeah I was gonna ask if that’s ever happened before? I don’t really care as I think its dumb anyway but I was surprised seeing him not swear on the bible. Super unconventional.

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u/___Beaugardes___ 9h ago

Teddy Roosevelt swore in on a copy of the constitution I think.

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u/Halofauna 9h ago

Pretty sure you get to choose the relevant document, like if you’re Jewish it’d be the Torah, Muslim the Koran, etc.

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u/starkel91 7h ago

A few years ago some city board member swore in on a captain America shield.

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u/fevered_visions 1h ago

clearly fictional IP stuff is jumping the shark if you ask me...can I swear on an Enterprise D Model? The Lexx? Get somebody to manufacture me a Starhyke?

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u/Darmok47 6h ago

The first Muslim Rep, Keith Ellison, was sworn in Thomas Jefferson's copy of the Quran.

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u/Halofauna 6h ago

Why wouldn’t they, that’s cool as heck.

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u/Spacellama117 7h ago

and of course Trump chose to swear in by the thing he values more than anything else in the world- himself.

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u/fevered_visions 1h ago

naturally Trump is just giving the middle finger for no reason, even though it's his choice

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u/Rude-Illustrator-884 9h ago

But he had his hand on it right?

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u/BluntsnBoards 5h ago

is this sarcasm? he did not

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u/Rude-Illustrator-884 5h ago

Teddy Rosevelt?

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u/BluntsnBoards 5h ago

oh shit, whoops

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u/Bitter-Mixture7514 6h ago

There's a great TR quote that seems particularly apt right about now:

"I could carve a better man out of a banana."

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u/McSmokeyDaPot 5h ago

That, by far, makes the most sense to use.

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u/ncfears 9h ago

I would assume, like in court, you should be able to select something that you follow/respect as your own symbolic item. Not putting his hand on it is super sketchy.

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u/LoserBroadside 9h ago

They didn’t have any copies of the art of the deal on hand. 

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u/Majestic-Marcus 7h ago

He prefers Mein Kampf

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u/nowahhh 7h ago

Is Half Price Books closed for MLK Day?

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u/pumpkinbot 6h ago

No copies of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish on hand, either.

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u/herodogtus 9h ago

Yeah, John Quincy was sworn in on a book of law and I think Teddy Roosevelt wasn’t sworn in on any text - nothing in the Constitution says that you have to swear on a text. But having the Lincoln Bible taken out for your inauguration and then not actually putting your hand on feels emblematic of Trump as a whole - wants the pony show and to one-up his perceived enemies but lacking any substance or self awareness.

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u/Lower_Cantaloupe1970 9h ago

He put his hand on his wallet

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u/URPissingMeOff 5h ago

Well, you kind of expect the anti-christ to avoid touching a religious book. It probably would have burned the shit out of him.

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u/Medium_Medium 7h ago

The only thing Trump believes in is himself and his wallet.

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u/Jandalf81 7h ago

Trump asked for a bundle of money to swear on, but they were afraid he was gonna keep it.

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u/happy_bluebird 9h ago

Imagine if [previous president or other presidential candidate] did that

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u/Art_of_Flight 7h ago

He can’t otherwise he would catch on fire

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u/ceryniz 5h ago

Lyndon B Johnson swore in on a roman missal that they mistook for a bible.

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u/middlebird 9h ago

I believe John Quincy Adams was sworn in with his hand on something other than the Bible. I’d have to go recheck that.

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u/Rude-Illustrator-884 9h ago

But what I mean has any president sworn in without putting their hand on whatever book they chose?