4 years after the January 6 uprising, Kamala Harris confirms Trump’s election victory

Four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump supporters attacked the US capital, sending lawmakers scrambling for security and throwing what was traditionally a routine ceremonial process – which certified the electoral vote – into chaos.

Trump was later criminally indicted in an unprecedented case of an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a case that was only recently dropped following his Nov. 5 presidential victory.

On Monday, Trump’s victory was officially certified by lawmakers in a joint session of Congress.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump, presided over the ceremony as president of the Senate.

Republicans cheered loudly when she announced Trump’s 312 electoral votes, while Democrats did the same for her 226 votes.

Monday’s events marked a return to the ministerial task, which had long been a low-key affair until Trump’s challenge of his loss to President Joe Biden, although heightened security measures remained in place.

A winter blizzard blanketed Washington, but lawmakers pressed ahead with the constitutional responsibility. The House floor was packed with lawmakers for the count, which was the final step in validating Electoral College results.

This year, President Biden emphasized the importance of America’s founding principle of the peaceful transfer of power, but urged the country to never forget what happened in 2021.

“We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault,” Biden wrote in an op-ed published late Sunday by Washington Post. “And we should be glad that we will not see such a shameful attack again this year.”

Harris also called a rolling certification and transition “the most important pillars of our democracy.”

“I believe very strongly that America’s democracy is only as strong as our will to fight for it…Otherwise it is very fragile and will not be able to withstand moments of crisis. And today America’s democracy stood. ” ” she said in the comments after the count.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, the target of Trump’s ire for not unilaterally rejecting the 2021 election count results, issued a statement Monday praising Harris for overseeing the return to tradition.

“I welcome the return of order and civility to these historic proceedings and offer my sincerest congratulations and prayers to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance on their election to lead this great nation,” Pence wrote. “I also commend the members of the House, the Senate and the Vice President who did their duty under the United States Constitution, it is especially admirable that Vice President Harris would lead the certification of a presidential election that she lost.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, who was just re-elected to a second term to lead the House with Trump’s assistance, and Vice President Harris called the chamber to order shortly after 1 p.m. 13 ET following the procession of ballots and senators through the Capitol.

Harris opened the ballots from each state and handed them to the households, who read the results aloud.

Unlike in 2021, there were no objections to the results. Harris conceded to Trump the day after Election Day, and no Democrats have disputed the result, as many Republican allies of Trump did in 2020.

Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a senator from Ohio after being named Trump’s vice president, sat in the front row during the count.

Trump, ahead of the certification, wrote on his social media platform that it will be “A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!”

The president-elect will be sworn in on Monday 20 January.

Trump has claimed his victory is a “mandate” from the American people to implement his agenda on the economy, immigration and more.

He returns to the White House with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate. The 119th Congress was sworn in on Friday.