The US Congress on Monday, the 6th of January, formally certified the election victory of Republican President Donald Trump, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the session and announcing the official results, after she lost the election in November, reports Reuters.
The process went smoothly, unlike in 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Trump, who continues to claim that his 2020 defeat was due to fraud, had expressed similar concerns about the election before winning in 2024.
Harris, as vice-president, oversaw the roll call of the states in the Senate and announced the official results. Four years ago, then Vice-President Mike Pence announced Biden’s victory.
Senator JD Vance, whose victory as Vice President was also certified by Harris, sat in the House of Representatives.
“Congress today certifies our big election victory – it’s a big moment in history. MAGA!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday.
The congressional session took place amid a winter storm that swept through the capital, bringing an estimated 15cm of snow and causing traffic problems.
The final certification confirmed the initial calculations, according to which Trump won 312 Electoral College votes to Harris’s 226.
In the November elections, Republicans also won a majority in the US Senate and gained a slight majority in the House of Representatives.
The Democrats did not try to block the formal certification of Trump’s victory on Monday.
Vice President Harris stressed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, calling it one of the key pillars of democracy. Katherine Clark, Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, joined in urging leaders to prioritise the Constitution, respect the will of the people and the rule of law.
Security at the Capitol has been stepped up for the certification ceremony and will remain in place until Trump’s inauguration on the 20th of January.
The Capitol grounds were surrounded by metal fences and could only be accessed through checkpoints guarded by police patrols. Additional Capitol police units checked IDs at the entrances, including the tunnels to the House of Representatives and the Senate chamber.
Trump plans to pardon some of the more than 1 500 people charged in the 6th of January 2021 attack on the Capitol. Rioters broke into the building, clashed with police and caused 2.8 million US dollars in damage. Some 140 police officers were injured and several of them died in the following weeks, including by suicide.