'I do solemnly swear…' 6 things to know about the presidential oath

Before being sworn in as the next President of the United States, President-elect Donald Trump will say the same 35-word oath each of his predecessors said before him.

The oath, located in Article II, Section I of the Constitution reads:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Here are six things to know about the presidential oath, as detailed in an NPR article.

1. The presidential oath is the only oath spelled out in the Constitution. It is also the shortest oath.

2. The words "So help me God" are not included in the Constitution, although every president says this phrase at the end of the oath. Some people believe George Washington was the first to add these words to the oath, a notion that arose from a biographer who claimed to have attended the first president's inauguration when he was six years old.

3. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath at Mr. Trump's inauguration on Friday. While the Constitution does not specify who should administer the oath, the chief justice traditionally does it.

4. Mr. Trump will use his personal family Bible and the Lincoln Bible to take the oath on Friday.

5. Swearing in on a Bible is not universal practice. In 1825, John Quincy Adams took the oath on a law volume containing a copy of the Constitution. After President Kennedy was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson allegedly swore in on a Catholic Missal because a bible could not be found for the quickly-arranged ceremony that took place on an airplane back to Washington, D.C., according to NPR.

6. Only two presidents have sworn in four times: President Franklin D. Roosevelt — since he was re-elected four times — and President Obama, through error and fluke.

More articles on leadership:

Status quo is the biggest competitor for Dan Coholan
NIH director to keep job under Donald Trump, for now
The $5k C-suite physical: 5 things to know about hospitals' increasingly popular offering

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars