Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump’s election under the tightest national security level possible. Layers of tall black fencing flank the U.S. Capitol complex in a stark reminder of what happened on January 6 four years ago.
Here’s the latest:
Trump online said Congress was certifying a ‘GREAT’ election victory and called it ‘A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY’
The day’s return to a U.S. tradition that launches the peaceful transfer of presidential power comes with an asterisk as Trump prepares to take office in two weeks with a revived sense of authority.
He denies that he lost four years ago, muses about staying beyond the Constitution’s two-term White House limit and promises to pardon some of the more than 1,250 people who’ve pleaded guilty or were convicted of crimes for the Capitol siege.
Former Vice President Mike Pence applauds ‘the return of order and civility’ to the certification process
And he commended Vice President Kamala Harris for her role certifying her rival’s win.
He wrote on X that, “The peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of our democracy” and that, “today, members of both parties in the House and Senate along with the vice president certified the election of our new president and vice president without controversy or objection.”
He also congratulated Trump on his win.
Kamala Harris played her ceremonial role with perfunctory remarks and no rhetorical flourishes
She passed copies of each state’s results to lawmakers, who read them out loud. When they finished, Harris announced the final results, and smiled tightly as Republicans applauded Donald Trump’s victory.
The entire process lasted less than 30 minutes.
“The chair declares this joint session dissolved,” Harris said. “Thank you.”
A stunningly ordinary certification comes to an end
After going through all the certificates for 50 states and D.C., Congress anticlimactically certified the 2024 election for Trump and Vance.
It happened with little fanfare with some members taking breaks from looking at the dais to check their phones or engage in conversations with their neighbors.
Harris ended it with the words: “The chair declares this joint session dissolved.”
She shook hands and kissed a few members on the cheek before being swept away.
