NEW YORK,Outgoing vice president Kamala Harris presided over the certification of Donald Trump’s victory against her following November’s election. It is the same process Trump supporters denied Joe Biden when he won back in 2021.
Under the tightest national security level, Ms Harris, who lost to Mr Trump following November’s election, presided over the certification of the 78-year-old Republican’s victory in Congress.
After Congress went through all the certificates for the 50 US states and Washington DC, it certified the election of Mr Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
Cheers broke out in the chamber as Ms Harris announced the tally of the electoral votes, with Mr Trump receiving 312, while her candidacy, launched following outgoing President Joe Biden’s decision in July to withdraw from the race, got 226.
Ms Harris smiled tightly as she announced her rival’s victory – and as Republicans gave a standing ovation.
She ended the process, which lasted less than 30 minutes, saying: “The chair declares this joint session dissolved.”
Ahead of senators and representatives gathering for the event, the outgoing vice president described her role in the certification as a “sacred obligation” to ensure the peaceful transfer of power.
Ms Harris joined a short list of other vice presidents to oversee the ceremonial confirmation of their election loss as part of their role of presiding over the Senate.
The president-elect, who will be sworn in for his second term in the Oval Office on 20 January, posted on his social media platform Truth Social earlier in the day: “Congress certifies our great election victory today – a big moment in history. MAGA!”
Mr Trump has said he plans to pardon some of the more than 1,500 people charged with taking part in the 6 January 2021 assault on the Capitol.
