With Vice President Kamala Harris presiding, Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance‘s victory in the 2024 election on Monday.
The House and Senate received the Electoral College votes in less than an hour with the reading of certificates from the states and D.C. The GOP ticket won 312 of them.
“CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!” Trump exclaimed in a post to Truth Social.
Harris, who lost the presidential election, watched over the proceedings as president of the Senate. It was Harris who ultimately declared the final tally and the winners.
“This announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president,” she said.
Members of Congress made their way to the U.S. Capitol despite a storm that dropped several inches of snow, causing closures throughout the D.C. region.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said during a “Sunday Morning Futures” interview on Fox News that lawmakers would be “making sure” to get the job done.
“President Trump had a mandate — a landslide, you know — so many electoral votes and we get to count them all. We cannot delay that certification,” he said.
There were increased security measures, including more barriers and law enforcement, after the Capitol riot briefly disrupted the count four years ago.
Unlike in 2020, no lawmakers objected to any of the state’s election results. Some Democrats had previously been dodgy on whether they would oppose certification.
An overhaul of the Electoral College Act in 2022 made it harder for lawmakers to raise objections and established that the vice president could not settle these disputes.
Trump, who served his first term from 2016 to 2020, is scheduled to begin his second administration in two weeks with Inauguration Day on January 20.
Sen. Vance (R-OH) is slated to become vice president. Ohio GOP Governor Mike DeWine will appoint Vance’s Senate successor until a special election in 2026.
Republicans narrowly retained the House and won command of the Senate. In the coming months, they plan to get a fast start on implementing Trump’s agenda.
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