← Back to overview Language: NL EN

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.

Barack Hussein Obama II

Presidential Oath of Office, first inauguration (January 20, 2009) · Checked on 27 February 2026
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.

Analysis

The statement omits the critical error during the 2009 public ceremony: Chief Justice John Roberts misplaced the word 'faithfully,' prompting Obama to pause and mirror the incorrect phrasing ('*execute faithfully* the Office of President...'). The oath was later readministered privately in the White House Map Room on January 21, 2009, to ensure constitutional compliance. While the *intent* matched the Constitution (Art. II, §1, Cl. 8), the *verbatim* recitation in the public event was flawed. The corrected private oath used the exact wording claimed here.

Background

The U.S. presidential oath is prescribed by the Constitution and traditionally administered by the Chief Justice during inauguration. Errors in 2009 sparked debate over whether the misstatement invalidated the oath, though legal scholars agreed the private redo resolved any ambiguity. This was the first known time a president had to retake the oath due to a verbal mistake.

Verdict summary

Barack Obama did **not** recite the oath *exactly* as stated during his first inauguration due to a miscue by Chief Justice Roberts, requiring a private redo the next day.

Sources consulted

— The White House (2009). [*Remarks by President Obama and Chief Justice Roberts in Readministering the Oath of Office*](https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/01/21/president-obama-takes-oath-office). Archived White House Blog.
— CNN (2009). [*Obama retakes oath of office after Roberts' flub*](https://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/21/obama.oath/index.html).
— U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 8. [*Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School*](https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleii#section1).
— The New York Times (2009). [*A Slip of the Tongue, Then a Do-Over for the Oath*](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/us/politics/22oath.html).