The United States Congress officially certified President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election on the 6th (local time). Unlike four years ago when the certification process escalated into a riot, the peaceful transfer of power took place as Vice President Kamala Harris, the losing candidate, certified the results in her capacity as President of the Senate.
According to CNN and other networks, Vice President Harris presided over the joint session of the House and Senate and announced that President-elect Trump was elected as the 47th President of the United States. First, the Electoral College vote results by state were announced in alphabetical order, and Harris, attending as the ex officio President of the Senate, asked, "Are there any objections?" before confirming the final results. In the Electoral College vote held on December 18 last year, Republican candidate Trump secured 312 out of 538 votes, while Vice President Harris secured 226 votes. The certification process by the House and Senate is the final step in the U.S. presidential election.
Immediately after, Vice President Harris emphasized that she upheld the oath to support and defend the Constitution by saying, "Today, I did what I have done throughout my career." She also stated, "I believe that American democracy depends on how strongly we are all willing to fight for it," and evaluated, "Today, American democracy stood strong."
This statement emphasized her respect for democracy and acceptance of the election results, in contrast to four years ago when supporters of President-elect Trump rebelled against the election results, leading to the January 6 Capitol riot. Notably, Vice President Harris was in a unique position as the ex officio President of the Senate to directly certify the election of the competitor who defeated her. Similar situations occurred in the 1960 election with then-Vice President Richard Nixon and in the 2000 election with then-Vice President Al Gore.
J.D. Vance, the Vice President-elect who is still a sitting senator, also attended the approximately 36-minute session. President-elect Trump will officially be inaugurated on the 20th. Before the joint session of Congress, Trump posted on Truth Social, "Congress today certifies our great victory," calling it "a great moment in history."
Local media highlighted the significantly increased security around the Capitol, seemingly mindful of the January 6, 2021 riot. President Joe Biden, in an op-ed for the Washington Post (WP) on the same day, stated that the threat posed by the riot to American democracy must not be forgotten, and said it should be remembered as "a day when our democracy was tested and prevailed." Former Vice President Mike Pence, who was threatened by Trump supporters while certifying Biden's victory four years ago, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "Peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy," welcoming "the restoration of order and civility to this historic process."
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