A Reflective Transition: Trump’s Victory Certified Amid Snow and Security
With the Capitol sealed off and Washington blanketed in snow, the US Congress on Monday officially certified Donald Trump's victory in the November 5 presidential election. In stark contrast to four years ago, when a violent mob stormed the halls of legislative power in response to Trump's refusal to concede defeat to Joe Biden, Monday's proceedings unfolded as a routine affair. The only violence witnessed was children gleefully hurling snowballs during the capital's first major snowfall of the winter.
Trump will assume office on January 20 and has pledged mass pardons for those prosecuted for the 2021 Capitol attack. Meanwhile, President Biden has urged Americans to remember the events of January 6, emphasizing the need to reflect on the lessons of that day.
The joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives convened to count the electoral votes from the states, completing the process of electing the President of the United States under the country’s Electoral College system. Trump, who secured victory with a 2.3 million lead in the popular vote, garnered 312 votes in the Electoral College compared to Kamala Harris’s 226.
In a bitter twist, Harris, the Vice President of the United States, presided over the session that certified her rival's victory—a moment reminiscent of Al Gore's experience against George W. Bush in 2001. Sharing the dais with Harris was Mike Johnson, the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Much of the attention on the floor was directed toward Senator JD Vance, the vice-president-elect.
Ceremonially, ushers carried the electoral votes into the designated mahogany boxes for the occasion. Following the alphabetical order of states, the members of Congress responsible for the task declared the electoral votes regular in form and authentic before announcing the candidate to whom each vote corresponded. Republicans applauded votes for Trump and Vance, while Democrats cheered for Harris and Tim Walz. Unlike the events of four years ago, no objections were raised, and the entire process concluded smoothly in about half an hour.
Biden reflected on the events of January 6, 2021, in an op-ed published Monday in The Washington Post. He noted that for much of American history, this procedure had been considered routine. "After what we all witnessed on Jan 6, 2021, we know we can never again take it for granted. Violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol, threatened the lives of elected officials, and assaulted brave law enforcement officers," he recalled.
Biden expressed pride that democracy withstood the assault and emphasized the importance of remembering the past, stating, "any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it. We cannot accept a repeat of what occurred four years ago."
A security fencing which encircles the US Capitol building was visible on Monday. Biden condemned what he describes as an unrelenting effort to rewrite or erase the history of that day. He noted, "To tell us we didn’t see what we all saw with our own eyes... This is not what happened. We cannot allow the truth to be lost."
Biden suggested that the nation should commit to remembering January 6, 2021, every year as a day when democracy was tested and prevailed. He vowed to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the revered traditions of American democracy.
Despite gestures of civility, the relationship between Biden and Trump remains tense. Trump criticized Biden on his social media platform, Truth Social, contending that Biden was making the transition as difficult as possible through actions that he deemed unprecedented, such as costly executive orders related to environmental regulations.
Trump’s remarks referenced his upcoming court sentencing for 34 counts of falsifying accounting records, following a jury's guilty verdict last May. His lawyers have requested the hearing to be suspended, announcing plans to appeal the judge's decision to proceed with sentencing.
Moreover, Trump criticized Biden’s recent decision to ban hydrocarbon exploration along US coasts, which Biden claims is supported by communities aware of the potential environmental damage caused by offshore drilling. While Trump has vowed to repeal these executive orders, current laws state that undoing such protections would require legislative action, a task complicated by the narrow Republican majority in Congress.
As the nation observes this transition, the focus remains on the significance of history, the weight of democracy, and the ongoing challenges faced by its leaders.
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