Recent events are causing me to reflect on what is happening here in the United States and its impact on the population and the world. It starts with a clip I saw of Trump at his inauguration, where he was taking the oath of office, with his wife, Melania, holding two Bibles that Trump completely ignored as he took the Presidential Oath of Office.
As I stared at the picture, many things flooded my mind. The first was my seventh-grade history class on the American Revolution, where I saw images in my history book of George Washington with his right hand raised and left hand on the Bible. When I looked at that picture, I knew what it meant to place your hand on the Bible and swear an oath. You were essentially telling God to strike you down if you violated that oath.
Taking an oath and placing one’s hand on the Christian Holy Book was serious back then. But, seeing Trump ignore it was reveling. Was he nervous and just forgot? When he first won, he followed established protocol and did indeed place his left hand on the Bible his wife held for him to do so. So, why not this time?
Then I thought about Washington and what he did while being sworn in as the country’s first President. Not only did he affirm the oath he took, ‘with so help me God,’ but he kissed the Bible. A practice other presidents who came after him followed for some time. Yet, I still found myself wondering if there was something else Washington was considering as he placed his hand on the Bible, becoming the leader of a new country that was now standing on its own after winning its independence from England, no longer in its orbit as Paine wrote:
In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than the primary planted, and as England and America, with respect to each other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe, America to itself. — Common Sense, Thomas Paine Collected Writings, pg.28 The Library of America
Washington is known to have read Paine’s works. I would not be surprised if he reflected on what Paine wrote as a guide in dealing with the weighty issues he would face as the first President of this newly formed nation.
Was it possible that he was thinking of the enormous role he was taking on or even Paine’s reference of America under control of America was now ended and, ‘he as its President was now responsible for the direction of the country?’
We know from history that Washington was thoughtful, but being the country’s first President was a role he was unprepared for. However, he provided a framework from which other presidents decided to follow and adapt to their style and personalities. Washington established the model that future presidents followed, including placing one’s hand on the Bible as they took the oath. A precedent Trump seemed deliberately to forego with his second inauguration. A precedent the general public seemed to have overlooked, ignored, or worse, totally accepted, and that should concern us.
Many witnessed Trump not placing his hand on the Bible and undoubtedly thought nothing of it, especially those who wanted him to win. I do not doubt that if pointed out to Trump supporters, their response would run along the lines of, ‘Nothing to see here’; it was a case of nerves, or ‘He was in the moment and just forgot.’
Trump’s actions suggest a deliberate departure from tradition, raising concerns about the future of democratic governance. Trump seems determined to govern not along the lines of former traditions but in the manner Plato warned against by embracing concepts of oligarchy where the focus is on riches, where virtue falls by the wayside, as demonstrated by the individuals he selected to be in his cabinet who are millionaires and billionaires, as Plato points out in The Republic:
“The decline begins with the possession of gold and silver; illegal modes of expenditure are invented; one draws another on, and the multitude are infected; riches outweigh virtue; lovers of money take the place of lovers of honour; misers of politicians; and, in time, political privileges are confined by law to the rich, who do not shrink from violence in order to effect their purposes.” — Plato, The Republic.
Undoubtedly, many will see this as inconsequential or just another person hating on Trump, which is fine. Others may question why someone such as myself would take the time to write about what was an oversight on Trump’s part for them. But I would ask them to consider the following.
When Washington placed his hand on the Bible and repeated the Presidential oath, where he swore this oath; “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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.” Washington had a far better understanding of what he promised to do as he had a front-row seat when he was elected to preside over the Constitutional Convention.
The country had been at war with England for eight years to extricate itself from the satellite of England and control its planetary orbit as the United States of America. The eight years he spent fighting honed his understanding of the importance of freedom from monarchical rule, where the King was the final arbitrator over those he governed. Washington’s left hand on the most sacred book signifies his commitment to the people of the newly formed nation, his belief in the Constitution, and their right to be free from monarchial governance where a King had all the power, and validating that the people of the newly formed United States would have the power.
Ignoring the Bible his wife was holding, Trump sent a significantly different and disconcerting message that only a small group of individuals would understand and revel in with delight. It could be seen as, and likely was, the signal to the rising oligarchical class in the US as the green light they have been waiting for to start their rule that would pave the way for tyranny to overtake democratic governance.
While many see Trump not placing his hand on the Bibles she was holding as a nervous oversight, he would quickly say anyone who suggests otherwise is blowing things out of proportion. Trump’s actions indicate a significant departure from tradition, raising concerns about the future of democratic governance.
His remark about being a dictator on day one was no off-the-cuff remark. It reflected his belief in the strong-man philosophy that he believed was lacking in the Presidents who preceded him. Trump believes in a form of governance where the rich and powerful should determine the governmental structure. It’s called an oligarchy. But oligarchy leads to tyranny and dictatorial rule.
Democracy isn’t perfect, but it remains the best form of governance for its citizens. To preserve our representative democracy, we must remain vigilant against the rise of oligarchy and tyranny.
History’s lessons remind us that the erosion of democratic norms often begins with small, symbolic shifts. Preserving our republic requires vigilance and effort, as the alternative is unthinkable.
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