Kamala Harris certifies Trump’s election on January 6, 4 years after insurrection
Four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, sending lawmakers scrambling for safety and throwing the traditional ritual of certifying the electoral votes into chaos.
Trump was later charged in an unprecedented case with an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, which was only recently dropped after he won the presidential election on November 5.
Trump’s victory was officially certified by lawmakers during a joint session of Congress on Monday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump, presided over the ceremony in her capacity as Senate President.
Photo: Vice President Kamala Harris stands next to House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol as lawmakers gathered to certify President-elect Trump’s election victory in Washington, January 6, 2025. Thew/EPA-EFE/ )
When she announced that Trump had won 312 electoral votes, Republicans cheered loudly, while Democrats also cheered for her 226 electoral votes.
Monday’s events marked the return of a ministerial mission that had long been a low-key affair despite heightened security measures before Trump questioned his loss to President Joe Biden.
A winter snowstorm blankets Washington, but lawmakers continue to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities. The House of Representatives was packed with members awaiting the counting of votes, the final step in certifying the Electoral College results.
Photo: Law enforcement officers patrol outside the U.S. Capitol during a winter snowstorm on January 6, 2025, in Washington. (Wynn McNamee/Getty Images)
Photo: Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson after reading out the certification of the Electoral College vote during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2025. /Reuters)
This year, President Biden emphasized the importance of America’s fundamental principles of the peaceful transfer of power but urged the United States to never forget what happened in 2021.
“We should be proud that our democracy has withstood this attack,” Biden wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Sunday night. “We should be happy that we won’t see it again this year. Disgraceful attack.”
Harris also called it a “sacred obligation” – one she said she would “uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and unwavering faith in the American people.”
As Harris headed to the House floor, she was asked what people should take away from Monday’s event.
“Democracy must be upheld by the people,” she said, raising a finger.
Photo: Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson during a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election at the Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP) via Getty Images)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who had just been re-elected with help from Trump, and Vice President Harris called the order after the votes and senators marched through the Capitol shortly after 1 p.m. ET .
Harris opened each state’s ballots and handed them to House vote counters, who read the results aloud.
Unlike 2021, no one disputed the results. Harris conceded to Trump the day after Election Day, and no Democrats challenged the results as many of Trump’s Republican allies did in 2020.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, who remains an Ohio senator after being named Trump’s running mate, sat in the front row during the vote count.
Photo: Vice President-elect J.D. Vance attends a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2025 in Washington. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: Senate Page Transporting Electoral College ballot boxes to the House of Representatives for a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election on January 6, 2025 at the Capitol in Washington. (Countess Cemal/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump posted on his social media platforms ahead of the certification that it would be “a momentous moment in history. MAGA!”
The President-elect will be sworn in on Monday, January 20.
More: Trump continues efforts to downplay Jan. 6 violence as ‘a day of love’
Trump claimed that his victory was a “mandate” from the American people to implement his economic, immigration and other agendas.
He will return to the White House and Republicans control the House and Senate. The 119th Congress was sworn in last Friday.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and John Parkinson contributed to this report.
Kamala Harris certifies Trump’s election four years after Jan. 6 insurrection originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
