Exclusive By: Kanwal Abidi.
Washington D.C. Congress on Monday certified President-elect Trump’s electoral victory, officially cementing his
win over Vice President Harris ahead of his inauguration with no objections from any
lawmakers as a tally of states was read on the House floor.
Trump captured the presidency with 312 electoral votes to Harris’s 226 – a total that was
confirmed during the certification on Monday, marking the final step in the election process
before Trump formally takes back the White House on Jan. 20.
Republicans gave a standing ovation in the chamber when Harris announced Trump’s victory
was now certified. A bipartisan standing ovation broke out in the House chamber after Harris
declared the joint session of Congress dissolved. The event lasted about 30 minutes before
Harris gaveled it out.
Harris presided over the event, donning a business-like or expressionless demeanor and
refrained from any applause. The proceedings went off without a hitch. Unlike Trump’s 2016
win, no Democratic lawmakers attempted to block certification of his victory.
A number of lawmakers aided in the count, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Deb
Fischer (R-Neb.) and Reps. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) and Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.). Vice President-elect JD
Vance was also seated in the chamber during the count.
The proceedings also marked a full 180-degree turn from four years ago, when rioters stormed
the Capitol to try and halt the certification of President Biden’s victory over Trump, who had
spent weeks pushing false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.
Trump, who four years ago stewed in the White House and opted not to speak out or intervene
as the violence unfolded, spent Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as the certification
played out without much fanfare. The president-elect called it a “big moment in history” hours
before lawmakers arrived to certify the results.
In a video released ahead of the certification, Harris hailed the “peaceful transfer of power” as
a bedrock of U.S. democracy, calling her duty a “sacred obligation.”
“As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile,” Harris said. “And it is up to each of us to stand
up for our most cherished principles.”
Despite the affair being largely symbolic, there was some drama surrounding the event. A
snowstorm hit Washington overnight, creating headaches for lawmakers trying to return to the
Capitol for the certification.
The certification had to go forward as changing the date due to the weather would have
required a new law; the Jan. 6 date is written into federal statute.
