Donald Trump to Use Abraham Lincoln's Bible and a Personal Bible at Swearing in Ceremony
At his swearing in ceremony on Friday, President-elect Donald Trump will make use of two Bibles: one that belonged to former President Abraham Lincoln and another that was gifted to Trump in his childhood by his mother.
The swearing in ceremony requires the incoming United States President to take the oath of office, which by convention is carried out with the right hand raised and the left resting on a Bible. Donald Trump has announced that he will make use of two special editions of the holy book at his swearing in.
The Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) on Tuesday confirmed the Bibles which will be used by Donald Trump on January 20 when he is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
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"In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln appealed to the 'better angels of our nature,'" said Tom Barrack, PIC Chairman. "As he takes the same oath of office 156 years later, President-elect Trump is humbled to place his hand on Bibles that hold special meaning both to his family and to our country."
The Lincoln Bible was purchased for, and used at, President Lincoln's first Presidential inauguration. Housed in the Library of Congress, the Bible is bound in burgundy velvet and is adorned with gold trimmings. First used by President Lincoln in 1861, the Bible remained unused by incoming U.S. Presidents until Barack Obama made use of it at both his swearing-in ceremonies in 2009 and 2013.
The second Bible to be used at the inauguration ceremony holds personal significance to the President-elect. Gifted to him by his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, the President-elect received it when he graduated Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, New York, on Children's Day, June 12, 1955. Trump's name is embossed on the cover of the book while the inside cover contains signatures of church officials and details of the occasion on which it was presented handwritten by Mrs. Trump.
"It's amazing," Donald Trump told CBN News in a recent interview. "All written out ... so I always know that it's mine. It was special, and I open it and I look at that a lot.
Donald Trump, who was 9 when he received the Bible, has called it is his favorite book and referred to it on numerous occasions throughout his 2016 campaign. Trump, a Presbyterian, also showed off the Bible in a January 2016 video in which he thanked evangelical Christians for their support of his campaign.
Taking a leaf from Trump's book (figuratively of course), Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be using Ronald Reagan's family Bible when he is sworn in. This will be the first time Reagan's Bible will used at an inauguration ceremony since the former President used it at his own in 1981.
The oath of office will be administered by the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts at the Presidential swearing in ceremony on January 20.
