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.
PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris stands next to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in the House chamber of the Capitol as lawmakers gather to certify President-elect Trump’s election victory in Washington, Jan. 6, 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
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.
PHOTO: Law enforcement officers patrol outside the U.S. Capitol as snow falls during a winter storm Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after reading the results confirming the Electoral College votes during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2025. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
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 it a “sacred obligation” — one she said she would “uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people.”
As she made her way to the House chamber, Harris was asked what people should take away from Monday’s events.
“Democracy must be upheld by the people,” she said, raising one finger in the air.
PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson as they arrive for a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 Presidential election at the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
PHOTO: Vice President-elect J.D. Vance applauds as he attends a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 Presidential election, inside the House Chamber at the US Capitol, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOTO: Senate pages carry Electoral College ballot boxes to the House Chamber for of a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 Presidential election at the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington. (Jemal Countess/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
MORE: Trump’s continuing effort to downplay Jan. 6 violence as ‘day of love’
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.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and John Parkinson contributed to this report.
4 years after Jan. 6 insurrection, Kamala Harris certifies Trump’s election win originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
