Congress has formally certified the results of the 2024 election, officially confirming Donald Trump’s win and setting the stage for his second term as President of the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris officiated the certification process during a joint session of Congress, marking one of the final steps in a long electoral process. Trump was set to be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States later this month.
Harris followed in the footsteps of just two other vice presidents in modern history by overseeing the formal certification of her own loss in a presidential election, according to Fox News.
This afternoon, both House and Senate members gathered in the House chamber to begin the confirmation process. As required by law, the official electoral slates were brought into the chamber in ceremonial mahogany boxes. Harris opened the sealed certificates, which were handed to congressional tellers to read aloud alphabetically.
According to the existing protocols, legislators are allowed to contest specific electoral votes if both a representative and a senator endorse the challenge. Nevertheless, during the approximately 30-minute ceremony, no lawmaker voiced any objections, which concluded as tellers announced the results from Texas and Trump officially secured the 270 electoral votes required to become the next president of the United States, reported USA Today.
Ahead of the certification, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to reflect on the day’s significance. “CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!” he wrote.