The US Congress will convene to certify Donald Trump’s presidential election victory on Monday, January 6, 2025.
Vice President, Kamala Harris, Trump’s defeated Democratic opponent in November’s election, will preside over a joint Senate and House of Representatives session to validate the result, which longstanding convention dictates should be a mere formality in the peaceful transfer of power.
In a video message, Harris described her role as a “sacred obligation” to ensure the peaceful transfer of power.
“As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile and it is up to each of us to stand up for our most cherished principles.”
Kamala Harris
Harris will be joining 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.
Richard Nixon did it after losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Al Gore followed suit when the U.S. Supreme Court tipped the 2000 election to George W. Bush.
However, the proceedings will take place amid unprecedented security measures from US Capitol and Washington DC police, fearful of a repeat of the tumultuous events of 6 January 2021, when Trump’s supporters tried to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory amid false allegations that it had been stolen.
Four years ago, a defeated Trump exhorted a rally crowd to “fight like hell.” Hundreds broke into the Capitol, disrupting the certification of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
More than 1,500 people have been charged with offences in relation to the 2021 attack, which resulted in five deaths on the day and a further four in the days and months that followed, including police officers who killed themselves.
About 1,000 participants have been convicted but Trump has promised to pardon those he deems innocent as soon as he takes office on 20 January.
Tom Manger, Chief of the US Capitol police, said, “We cannot be taken by surprise again,” referring to how police four years ago were outnumbered and overwhelmed by the rampaging mob.
No Violence, Protest Expected
In reality, a rerun of four years ago is highly unlikely.
Democrats have accepted Trump’s electoral college and popular vote victory without demur.
They have signalled that they will not even lodge symbolic challenges to his electors, as some of them did after his 2016 victory, which he gained through the electoral college system while losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.
This time, Trump won both the electoral college, by 312 to 226, as well as the popular vote, by a margin of about 2.5m.
No violence, protests or even procedural objections in Congress are expected this time. Republicans who challenged the 2020 election results have no qualms this year after he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.
And Democrats frustrated by Trump’s 312-226 Electoral College victory nevertheless accept the choice of the American voters.
Joe Morelle, a representative from New York who is the ranking Democrat on the House committee charged with overseeing elections, told a news agency, “I think you’re going to have a pretty sort of normal transfer, and I think we will respect the wishes of the American people … in contrast to what happened January 6, 2021.” He added, “I do feel like that’s worth saying over and over again.”
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team and the incoming White House press secretary, said that there will be “a smooth transition of power.”
She said in a statement, “When Kamala Harris certifies the election results, President Trump will deliver on his promise to serve ALL Americans and will unify the country through success.”
