4 years after Jan. 6 insurrection, Kamala Harris certifies Trump's election win
"Today, America's democracy stood," Harris said after the vote count.
Four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, sending lawmakers scrambling for safety and throwing what was traditionally a routine ceremonial process -- certifying the electoral vote -- into chaos.
Trump later was charged criminally in an unprecedented case with an alleged scheme to overturn the results 2020 election, a case only recently dropped following his presidential election victory on Nov. 5.
On Monday, Trump's win was officially certified by lawmakers in a joint session of Congress.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump, presided over the ceremony as president of the Senate.
Republicans cheered loudly as she announced Trump's 312 electoral votes, while Democrats did the same for her 226 votes.
Monday's events marked a return to the ministerial task at had long been a subdued affair until Trump's challenge of his loss to President Joe Biden, though heightened security measures remained in place.
A winter snowstorm blanketed Washington but lawmakers forged ahead with the constitutionally mandated responsibility. The House floor was packed with lawmakers for the count, which was the final step in validating Electoral College results.
This year, President Biden emphasized the importance of America's bedrock principle of a peaceful transfer of power but urged the country to never forget what happened in 2021.
"We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault," Biden wrote in an op-ed published late Sunday by the Washington Post. "And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year."
Harris, too, called a smooth certification and transition the "most important pillars of our democracy."
"I do believe very strongly that America's democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it ... Otherwise, it is very fragile, and it will not be able to withstand moments of crisis. And today, America's democracy stood," " she said in comments after the count.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, the target of Trump's ire for not unilaterally rejecting the electoral count results in 2021, issued a statement on Monday praising Harris for overseeing the return to tradition.
"I welcome the return of order and civility to these historic proceedings and offer my most sincere congratulations and prayers to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance on their election to lead this great Nation," Pence wrote. "I also commend the members of the House, Senate and the Vice President who did their duty under the Constitution of the United States, it being particularly admirable that Vice President Harris would preside over the certification of a presidential election that she lost."
Speaker Mike Johnson, who was just elected to a second term to lead the House with Trump's assistance, and Vice President Harris called the chamber to order shortly after 1 p.m. ET after the procession of ballots and senators through the Capitol.
Harris opened the votes from each state and handed them to the House tellers, who read aloud the result.
Unlike in 2021, there were no objections to the results. Harris conceded to Trump the day after Election Day, and no Democrats have challenged the outcome as many Republican allies of Trump did in 2020.
Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a senator from Ohio after being tapped to be Trump's running mate, was seated in the front row during the count.
Trump, ahead of the certification, posted on his social media platform that it will be "A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!"
The president-elect will be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 20.
Trump has claimed his win is a "mandate" from the American people to implement his agenda for the economy, immigration and more.
He is returning to the White House with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate. The 119th Congress was sworn in last Friday.