Congress Confirms Trump’s Election Win
Following the examples set by Al Gore and Walter Mondale, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the certification of her own election defeat against Trump.
WASHINGTON—On January 6, the U.S. Congress officially certified President-elect Donald Trump’s electoral victory in the 2024 election, completing the final step to solidify Trump’s role as the next commander-in-chief.
In line with the precedents of Al Gore and Walter Mondale, Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the certification of her election loss to Trump. The outcome confirmed that Trump secured 312 electoral votes while Harris garnered 226.
The certification process was predominantly uneventful, with Democrats refraining from challenging any of Trump’s electoral victories.
Harris, in her capacity as president of the Senate, conducted the joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. ET to certify Trump’s victory.
“This duty is a sacred obligation that I will fulfill, guided by my love for this country, commitment to our Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people,” Harris stated prior to the certification.
Trump, for his part, highlighted the significance of the certification.
Related Stories
The electors from each state were read in alphabetical order and approved by Congress, which convened in the House chamber as per tradition for joint sessions.
While objections were raised in 2001, 2005, 2017, and 2021, no challenges arose during the 2024 election certification, making this one of the rare occasions in this millennium where that was the case.
During the 2021 certification process, some House and Senate members voiced objections to results from battleground states where they suspected election fraud had occurred.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) preside over a joint session of Congress to ratify the 2024 Presidential election at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Objections can only be made on the grounds of unlawfully certified election results, rather than claims of electoral fraud, thus preventing a recurrence of the events of 2021 and similar past election certifications.
When an objection is raised, House and Senate members retreat to their respective chambers to debate the challenge.
Harris is the first presidential candidate in over 20 years to oversee her own defeat for the presidency, with the last occurrence being in 2001 when Gore presided over his contentious loss to President George W. Bush.
The lack of adequate law enforcement at the Capitol led to a breakdown of order, resulting in hundreds of protesters entering the Capitol. While most were peaceful, a small group was accused of violent behavior—assaulting police, wielding lethal weapons, and vandalizing Capitol property.
This chaos resulted in the deaths of several Trump supporters, including Rosanne Boyland and Navy veteran Ashli Babbitt, with no Capitol Police officers reported killed directly due to the incidents of the day.
The situation forced Congress to pause the certification of the 2020 results, which faced challenges from Republican members regarding results in several states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania. For their safety, Pence and other congressional members were evacuated.
In the early hours of January 7, 2021, Congress completed the certification of Biden’s victory.
This time, significant security measures were in place around the Capitol, including extensive fencing around the area and the presence of law enforcement officers from various agencies amid snowy conditions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
