Democratic strategist David Axelrod knocked President Trump for not placing his hand on the bible when taking the oath of office on Monday. "It's curious that Trump, who spoke about his near-death experience after being targeted by an assassin's bullet as divine intervention, neglected to put his hand on the Bible when he took the oath," Axelrod said in a post on X. “I can only imagine the torrent of comment if @BarackObama had done the same,” he added. Trump was sworn into office for the second time on Monday, taking his oath of office at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda. During his swearing in, Trump appeared not to have his hand placed on either of the bibles that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, was holding beside him. Whether or not Trump’s hand rested atop the bibles as he took his oath of office has no bearing on the legitimacy of the oath. In his inauguration speech, Trump said he was "saved by God" to "make America great again" after he survived a shooting at a campaign rally last year. Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign, including in July when a gunman shot him during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania. Trump clasped his ear when shots were fired, and with blood on his face and ear, he pumped his fist in the air as Secret Service surrounded him. He recalled that moment in his inauguration speech. “Just a few months ago in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear, but I felt then and believed even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said.