Congress certifies Donald Trump’s election as president, without objection

WASHINGTON (NBC) — Congress on Monday formally certified President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory, exactly four years after he stirred up a mob that attacked the Capitol in a failed attempt to disrupt the certification of his 2020 election loss and keep him in power.

Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the certification of her defeat, which went smoothly and without drama amid a citywide snow emergency declaration.

“Democracy must be upheld by the people,” Harris told NBC News moments ahead of the certification.

One by one, the designees counted the electoral votes of each state for the winning candidates. Vice President-elect JD Vance, currently a senator from Ohio, sat in the chamber and watched from the front row.

Standing next to her at the lectern in the House chamber was Speaker Mike Johnson, who in 2021 helped engineer the failed objections to certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

“Donald J. Trump of the state of FL has received 312 votes,” Harris said in the chamber after the votes were counted, pausing for applause in the chamber. “Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes.”

Four years ago, 147 Republicans voted to overturn the result and discount electors for Biden, even though Trump had failed to produce any evidence that the result was illegitimate.

This time, Democrats chose not to respond in kind, instead seeking to return Jan. 6 to its historical roots as a boring and rote affair where the president-elect is certified without drama.

“January 6th should be an unremarkable day. This is a day that the rest of America should never have to really think about it,” newly minted Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said. “Just a pro forma certification of the election results. The fact that it is a day that still lingers in our consciousness kind of shows just how broken our politics are.”

The top House Democrat made clear Friday that Jan. 6, 2024, would be drama-free.