Trump will be taking the oath of office using two Bibles—one bearing historical significance and the other bearing a personal significance. Mike Pence will be sworn into office with Reagan’s Bible opened at 2 Chronicles 7:14.
On Jan. 20, Trump will place his hands on two Bibles as he takes the oath of office: the Lincoln Bible and the Bible his mother gave him in 1955.
The Lincoln Bible was used in the inauguration of Pres. Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861. During that time, Lincoln delivered his inaugural address, which included an appeal to “the better angels of our nature,” according to Tom Barrack, chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Pres. Barack Obama also used the Lincoln Bible in his inauguration in 2009. He used it again in 2013 together with a Bible owned by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The second Bible Trump will use in his inauguration is a personal Bible that his mother gave him in 1955 before his ninth birthday. At the time, Trump had just finished the Sunday Church Primary School at the First Presbyterian Church in Queens.
"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," Barrack said.
Trump will be administered the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be place his hand on a Bible owned by the family of former Pres. Ronald Reagan, who won the presidency with the largest number of electoral votes in American history, when he takes the oath of office on Friday.
The Bible will be opened at 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Reagan used the same Bible when he was sworn into office both as governor of California and as president of the United States. On both occasions, Reagan also placed his hand over 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Pence will be the first to use it after Reagan in an inauguration, according to ABC News. He will be administered the oath of office by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who will be the first African American to do so either to a president or a vice president.
Pence noted how the 40th U.S. president led the country with “faith in a loving God” and how his legacy influences the nation until now.
“President Ronald Reagan placed his faith in a loving God and the goodness of our country," Pence said. "He set out to change a nation and in doing so, he changed the world. In the march of history, Ronald Reagan’s time in office was limited, but his legacy inspired a generation and will continue beyond."
Reagan served two full terms as president. His approval rating when he left the office was 68 percent—the same as those of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Pres. Bill Clinton—which was considered as the highest among departing modern U.S. presidents.
