Four years after attempting to overturn the results of the election, leading to a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, Donald Trump was certified as the winner of the 2024 presidential contest.
In a heavily fortified Capitol complex, a joint session of Congress gathered to listen as the electoral vote results of each state were read off.
Presiding over the session was the president of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the position of announcing the winner of an election that she lost. Harris kept a slight smile as she read off the tally, 312-226. Republicans cheered for Trump, and Democrats responded with a large ovation for her.
On CNN, Dana Bash noted the heavy security today, and that so many that backed Trump’s challenge of the 2020 results were still present and actually now in positions of leadership. They include Mike Johnson, who is now speaker of the House.
“They are in charge because the voters put them there,” Bash said.
The certification is typically a pro forma, ceremonial process. But four years ago, Trump and his allies orchestrated an effort to challenge the results with false claims that the election was rigged.
As some Republicans raised objections to the results, that delayed the certification. Within the hour, rioters breached security at the Capitol, stormed inside and ransacked offices and sought out lawmakers. Congress ultimately certified the results for Joe Biden early the next morning. A number of Republicans, including Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, angrily spoke out against Trump, only to endorse him in the most recent presidential race. The House impeached Trump the week after the 2021 attack, but the Senate declined to convict him the next month.
Today, no objections were raised to the results, and the session itself lasted just over 30 minutes.
Harris stuck to the script. “This announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States, each for a term beginning on the 20th day of January, 2025, and shall be entered together with the list of the votes on the journals of the House and the Senate. Thank you very much.” She then adjourned the session.
Later, Harris made a brief statement. “Today, America’s democracy stood,” she said.
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