WASHINGTON − Congress certified Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory on Monday in a civil proceeding, four years after the president-elect’s supporters rioted and attacked the Capitol building in a deadly insurrection.
Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the counting of the electoral votes in the House chambers, leading the certification of the election she lost to Trump.
With the nation’s capital carpeted in snow and the Capitol grounds ringed in security fencing, Trump was certified the 2024 winner without a single objection. In a 40-minute ceremony, each state’s votes were tallied, and lawmakers cheered for their delegations.
But members of Congress also reflected on the four years since the Capitol riot. On Jan. 6, 2021, a group of the president-elect’s supporters, driven by false claims of election fraud, stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to block President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
Keep up with live updates from the USA TODAY Network.
Democrats have a symbolic moment
Democratic leaders and the House chaplain, Margaret Grun Kibben, are at the site where Capitol rioters first breached the building in 2021. The chaplain opened with a prayer.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was less than 20 feet from rioters as he was ferried out of the Senate chamber that day.“We must never forget,” Schumer said. “Democracy is both sacred, its roots are deep, but at times it can be fragile.”House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Jan. 6, 2021 was “a day that will live in infamy.”“Hopefully today the peaceful transfer of power should serve as an example of how we as a country should move forward,” Jeffries said.− Riley Beggin
Democratic lawmakers and House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben bow their heads as they commemorate four years since the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Democratic caucus stays unusually quiet with zero objections
Jan. 6, 2025, marked the first time that not a single congressional Democrat objected to certifying a Republican president-elect since 1988.
Democrats objected 11 times in 2017 when lawmakers were gathered to certify Trump’s first presidential win. And 31 House Democrats in 2005 opposed certifying former President George W. Bush’s reelection victory in Ohio, citing voting issues in the state.
In spite of these interruptions, electoral certification had been a traditionally routine process that garnered little attention from average Americans outside Washington before four years ago.
In 2021, 147 House and Senate Republicans opposed certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 win, shortly before a group of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in a violent attempted insurrection.
− Savannah Kuchar
Kamala Harris speaks after overseeing electoral vote count
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 election, oversaw the electoral vote count in her role as president of the Senate.
Today was about “a peaceful transfer of power,” she told reporters following the ceremony.
“Today, I did what I have done my entire career, which is take seriously the oath that I have taken many times to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” she said, “which included today, performing my constitutional duty to ensure that the people of America, the voters of America, will have their votes counted, that those votes matter, and that they will determine then with the outcome of an election.”
She did not take questions from reporters.
− Riley Beggin
‘Particularly admirable’: Mike Pence praises Kamala Harris for Jan. 6 duties
Former Vice President Mike Pence wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was “particularly admirable” that Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the certification of Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.
“The peaceful transfer of power is the hallmark of our democracy and today, members of both parties in the House and Senate along with the vice president certified the election of our new president and vice president without controversy or objection,” he said.
“I also commend the members of the House, Senate and the Vice President who did their duty under the Constitution of the United States, it being particularly admirable that Vice President Harris would preside over the certification of a presidential election that she lost,” he later added in the post.
Trump in 2021 urged Pence to reject President Joe Biden’s electoral votes as Pence oversaw the certification of the 2020 election. However, Pence insisted that he never had that authority, even as rioters threatened his life, saying at the time that there’s “almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.”
− Sudiksha Kochi
‘Absolute horror’
When Maxwell Goddard, 29, woke up four years on Jan. 6, he didn’t expect rioters would succeed in breaching the Capitol building.
“I watched that day as it unfolded in absolute horror,” said Goddard outside the building four years later. Standing in front of a tall fence wearing a light jacket in the snow, Goddard held a sign reading “14th Amendment Section 3.”
The amendment states that officials are disqualified from holding office if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. government.
Goddard flew all the way from his home in Merrimack, New Hampshire, to demonstrate in front of the Capitol. He was one of few demonstrators on the street packed with police.
“I’ve somewhat spent the past four years of my life trying to understand what actually went on here,” he said. “I just don’t know what else to do, except I got a flight down here and made this little sign.”
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
JD Vance jokes with Marjorie Taylor Greene after ceremony
JD Vance, who is still a member of the Senate and will serve there until he’s sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, greeted supporters at the Capitol on Monday. He was seen joking with his fellow Republicans after the certification, including Trump loyalist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Pointing to her red MAGA hat, Vance said he bought his mother-in-law, Lakshmi Chilukuri, a MAGA hat for Christmas. The gifted hat was autographed by Trump and at least double in size a typical cap.“She makes you look like a Democrat,” Vance told Greene, eliciting laughter.− Savannah Kuchar
Jan. 6 proceedings were swift in 2025
Monday’s ceremony only took around 30 minutes. No lawmakers objected, and the proceedings went smoothly.
In comparison, the same ceremony took hours four years ago.
Lawmakers initially met at the same time, 1 p.m. But just a few minutes later, lawmakers objected to the results in Arizona, forcing the chambers to split up and deliberate over the objection.
Around 2 p.m., a mob of Trump’s supporters breached the building, and lawmakers began evacuating. The Capitol complex was finally secured by 8 p.m., and lawmakers came back into session around 9 p.m. However, more Republican lawmakers objected to results in key swing states. Congress finally declared Biden’s victory shortly after 3 a.m. the next day.
In 2009, it took 36 minutes to name Barack Obama president. In 2013, Obama’s reelection was certified in 22 minutes. In 2017, confirmation of Trump’s victory lasted 41 minutes.− Riley Beggin and Sarah D. Wire
Marjorie Taylor Greene: ‘I enjoyed the process’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., donning a red hat with “MAGA” embroidered in white, said she had a “great time” during the Jan. 6 proceedings.
“I sat by Diana Harshbarger, who was really funny and a lot of fun to talk to. We just certified it, got it done quickly, and so I enjoyed the process,” she said, referencing her fellow Republican representative from Tennessee.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said that there was a “peaceful transfer of power which is what it’s all about.”
“I think we’re ready to serve a new chapter,” she said.
− Sudiksha Kochi
Republican reflects on Trump’s victory
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she was feeling “very excited” about lawmakers certifying Trump’s victory on Monday.
“The American people have rejected socialism. They’ve rejected wokeism, and they’ve chosen president Trump to lead them. So we’re very excited to be certifying results today,” she said.
Luna said she doesn’t expect any Democrats to raise objections during the Jan. 6 proceedings.
“They know that Trump won big,” said Luna, who has claimed voter fraud tainted Joe Biden’s 2020 election.
Trump received 312 electoral votes while Vice President Kamala Harris received 226 electoral votes in the 2024 presidential race.
−Sudiksha Kochi
Ohio lawmaker watches her first electoral vote count
Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio., was a state legislator in 2021 during the Capitol riot. She said it was one of the reasons she decided to run for Congress in 2022.
“It’s very surreal to be a member of Congress. It’s one of the reasons that I was encouraged to run for Congress to make sure that we could protect our democracy and ensure that peaceful transition of power that allows us to be the beacon of democracy for the entire world,” Sykes, who began her second term on Friday, said.
An overall view during of a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 Presidential election, inside the House Chamber at the US Capitol on January 6, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Before heading to her office, Sykes said she greeted the police stationed inside the Capitol and thanked them for their service.“I asked them how they are feeling today and thanked them for their service…and hopefully, didn’t give them a false promise of we’ll do better today,” she said.−Sudiksha Kochi
Several Democrats missing from chamber
A significant number of House Democrats appear absent from the proceedings.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged members to stay in town over the weekend. Republicans also met to plan a policy package they aim to tackle as soon as possible.
But most Democrats returned home over the weekend. A snow storm blanketing the country may have interrupted many of their flights.
The Republican side of the chamber is packed, with several House members standing in the back as GOP senators take their typical seats.
−Riley Beggin
Vice President Harris gavels the session into order
And electoral vote count and certification of Donald Trump’s victory begins.
Representatives of the states, in alphabetical order, are reading alout their electoral vote tallies.
Vance, Vice President-elect, shares a laugh with Dem senators
Vice President-elect JD Vance waves as he attends a joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump’s election, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2025.
Vice President-elect JD Vance, R-Ohio, is among the senators attending the ceremony. He is still a U.S. Senator until Jan. 20, when he will be sworn in to his new role.
He is taking his time walking down the center aisle, pausing to speak with House members including Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
He also shared a moment of laughter with several Democratic members.
The chamber is now coming to order.
−Riley Beggin
‘Should be an unremarkable day’: Lawmaker reflects on four years since riot
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., went viral four years ago for images of him, then a member of the House, picking up debris left by January 6, 2021, rioters. Four years later to the day, Kim, now a recently elected senator, said he retraced his steps in the halls he helped clean.
“It’s a lot to process,” Kim said. “I don’t think I have an adjective that can really encapsulate how I feel right now.”
Before making his way to the House side with other senators, Kim noted what he said should be a return to normalcy.
“January 6th should be an unremarkable day,” Kim said. “You know, this is a day that the rest of America should never have to really think about it.”
“The fact that it is a day that still lingers in our consciousness just kind of shows just how broken our politics are right now,” he added.−Savannah Kuchar
U.S. Senators enter the House Chamber
The joint session of Congress is officially coming together to oversee the certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, is the first to enter the chamber from the Senate side. She is the president of the Senate and will oversee today’s proceedings.
Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson at a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 Presidential election, inside Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC, four years after Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building.
The rest of the senators file in behind her. Rep. Madeline Dean, D-Pa., asks Harris for a handshake as she nears the podium and the two clasp hands in a brief moment of recognition.
Harris will have the awkward task of certifying her loss, the first presidential candidate to do so since Al Gore in 2001.
−Riley Beggin and Savannah Kuchar
Schumer readies Democrats to certify results
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revisited the events of Jan. 6, 2021 in a floor speech Monday. Lawmakers on that day returned to the chamber after a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and oversaw the counting of Electoral Votes. With the Senate cleared of rioters, some Republicans moved to overturn the results in key swing states, but a majority of their colleagues voted against it.
“As hard as January 6th was, it will be one of my proudest moments in office. Because on that day the majority of us united to uphold our oaths to the constitution,” Schumer said.
A rioter wearing tactical garb and carrying zip-tie handcuffs clambers across the Senate gallery during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by followers of President Donald Trump.
He pledged Democrats would not challenge the results this year.
“We can never again allow this level of unhinged election denialism to happen,” he said.
−Riley Beggin
Federal employees take advantage of snow day
The national mall was empty hours before Congress was set to certify the election, save for a few walkers and a small group engaged in a snowball fight.
The snow was good news for Sara Ludewig and Casey Hughes, two librarians who took a stroll around the snowy mall on their lunch break. As federal employees, the pair teleworked for the day, and will have Thursday off for former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
A woman goes skiing with a dog near the National Gallery of Art, as a winter storm that brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to a broad swath of the U.S. arrived in Washington, U.S. January 6, 2025.
“I’m from the Midwest, so I like all the winter sports, and it’s fun to see that people still do them out here,“ said Ludewig, 29.
The tall fences around Capitol building also ringed the National Mall. Hughes, 29, said she hadn’t realized that the January 6 riot four years ago was the reason for the extra security.
“Every year when the date rolls around, people get anxious for good reason,” she said. “This year, at least the snow was a nicer way to think about different things.”
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Dem knocks Trump before Congress certifies his victory
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., blasted Trump on Monday, saying that he wants to “whitewash” the Capitol riot.
“Four years ago, we watched an insurrection here, and now we are in a position to say, once again, we believe in democracy, and we are handing over power,” Warren told USA TODAY. “Donald Trump wants to whitewash the insurrection that occurred four years ago, but the American people know what they saw with their own eyes.”
Warren said she was disappointed Trump’s praise of the Jan. 6 rioters. Trump has called the Jan. 6 defendants “warriors” and politicial prisoners − and has promised pardons for some.
“They’re insurrectionists,” Warren said. “This is what transfer of power is supposed to look like. The side that wins gets the power, the other side ratifies the election.”
Over a thousand defendants tied to the Capitol riot have been charged.
−Sudiksha Kochi
Snow and silence over U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 anniversary
On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots, silent snow fell over a heavy barricade around the U.S. Capitol.
“Police line: do not cross,” read the signs zip-tied to roughly 8-foot fences blocking off the reflecting pool and the U.S. Capitol beyond it. Police cars with blinking lights surrounded the street.
The Dome of the U.S. Capitol is visible as officers stand guard in a winter storm on Jan. 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. Congress is scheduled to certify the 2024 presidential election on Monday, four years after a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump rioted.
In contrast with the thousands rioters who converged on the Capitol building four years earlier, a few passersby walked the street, some stopping to peer through the gates.
A lone bicyclist holding a sign bearing an expletive directed at the president-elect passed slowly up and down the street behind a snow plow. He declined to be interviewed.
−Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Where is Donald Trump today?
Crews work to clear snow from the the East Front of the Capitol as a winter storm slams into Washington, DC, on Jan. 06, 2025. Congress is scheduled to certify the 2024 presidential elections Monday, four years after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building.
As Congress is set to certify the 2024 presidential election results, President-elect Donald Trump isn’t in Washington D.C. on Monday.
No details of Trump’s schedule have been released by his team, but the president-elect is currently in West Palm Beach, according to a transition pool report.
–Rebecca Morin
Kamala Harris says she’ll certify Trump’s win
Vice President Kamala Harris said she would perform her constitutional duty and certify the results of the 2024 election in a Monday video, in which she emphasized the importance of protecting America’s democracy.
“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,” she said in the message, which she posted to X.
Harris said her decision was “guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people.”
“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy. As much as any other principle, it is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny,” she said.
Harris will become the first presidential candidate since former Vice President Al Gore in 2001 to certify their own electoral loss.
–Francesca Chambers
‘Do not leave town’: Lawmakers asked to stay in D.C. amid winter storm
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Sunday urged lawmakers to stay in Washington D.C. amid the winter storm that hit the nation’s capital early Monday morning.
“I hope we have full attendance,” Johnson said during an interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “We have got a big snowstorm coming to D.C. and we encouraged all of our colleagues: do not leave town, stay here.”
A man runs along the National Mall as snow falls during a winter storm in Washington, DC on January 6, 2025. Dangerous wintry conditions are effecting a large swath of the central and eastern U.S.
The Electoral Count Act requires Congress to certify presidential results on January 6 at 1 p.m., Johnson said.
“Whether we’re in a blizzard or not, we are going to be in that chamber making sure this is done,” Johnson said. “President Trump had a mandate, a landslide…we cannot delay that certification. He deserves that.”
–Rebecca Morin
A bat in the corner: Lawmakers hope for smooth proceedings
For the last four years, there’s been a baseball bat propped up in a corner of Elissa Slotkin’s office.
The Democrat from Michigan bought it after Jan. 6, 2021, when she found herself barricaded inside that office as a frenzied mob of Donald Trump’s supporters roamed the U.S. Capitol after overwhelming police. Slotkin, a former House member who began her first term as a U.S. senator on Friday, recalled rushing into her office and frantically looking around for a weapon to defend herself and others.
“It’s a day that is seared on my memory,” she told USA TODAY. “It was an extremely dark stain on our country’s history.”
Unlike Jan. 6, 2021, lawmakers say they expect Jan. 6, 2025, to be uneventful. “Jan. 6 is going to be nice and calm,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, an avid supporter of the president-elect.
−Riley Beggin and Sudiksha Kochi
More: Four years after Trump supporters rioted at Capitol, lawmakers hope this Jan. 6 is peaceful
Accused in Jan. 6 riot, hoping to view Trump’s inauguration
As he fights multiple felony charges for allegedly assaulting police on Jan. 6, 2021, Tommy Tatum of Mississippi had hoped to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month.
Prosecutors resisted, arguing Tatum could end up face-to-face with the officers he’s accused of attacking.
A federal judge agreed in one of several recent rulings by judges barring Jan. 6 defendants from participating in events celebrating Trump’s return to office.
“Tatum’s alleged conduct was particularly violent,” U.S. District Judge John Bates wrote of the need to restrict his travel to the nation’s capital while he’s awaiting trial.
The nearly 1,600 people charged with crimes related to the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are counting on Trump to fulfill his promise to pardon at least some of them.
In the meantime, some have had mixed success in getting judges to let them attend Trump’s inauguration.
−Maureen Groppe and Bart Jansen
More: These Capitol riot defendants want to go to Trump’s inauguration. Some judges aren’t on board.
As Trump awaits certification in DC, reports say Justin Trudeau may resign in Canada
First lady Melania Trump kisses Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next to U.S. President Donald Trump during the family photo with invited guests at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, August 25, 2019. Reports on Jan. 6, 2025, said Trudeau planned to resign.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce his resignation amid increasing pressure from the nation’s lawmakers for him to step down, according to reports.
Trudeau is expected to announce as early as Monday that he would quit as leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party after nine years in office, sources first told the Globe and Mail. A source close to Trudeau told Reuters on Sunday the prime minister was likely to announce plans to step down, but had not made a final decision.
The telegenic son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is under pressure to step down ahead of an anticipated election wipeout for the Liberals. Trudeau has had an often antagonistic relationship with Trump. Trump has promised to impose hefy tariffs on Canada and Mexico once he takes office.
−Eric Lagatta
More: Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likely to announce resignation, reports say
Jan. 6 is traditionally a brief, no-drama ceremony
One way of recalling the events of 2021 might be to compare what took place on that astonishing January day with the brief, orderly formalities Americans can expect at the Capitol on Monday.
Certifying the Electoral College’s vote is a perfunctory ceremony.
On Monday, the House and Senate will meet jointly. Vice President Kamala Harris will preside.
More: How a violent mob took over the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021
The chambers will appoint members as “tellers” to count the votes, weigh any objections − and then formally announce who won.
In 2009, it took 36 minutes to name Barack Obama president. In 2013, Obama’s reelection was certified in 22 minutes. In 2017, confirmation of Trump’s victory lasted 41 minutes.
In 2021, when a mob violently took control of the Capitol complex, it took 14 hours and 48 minutes to name Joe Biden the winner.
−Sarah D. Wire
Will Trump pardon everyone charged in Jan. 6 riot?
Trump said he planned to issue the pardons “very quickly” but clarified there could be “some exceptions” if an individual had acted “radical” or “crazy” during the assault.
−Anthony Robledo
More: Will Donald Trump pardon January 6 Capitol rioters? Here’s what he has said
Biden urges U.S. to remember Jan. 6 attack
A protester supporting President Donald Trump jumps from the public gallery to the floor of the Senate chamber during the assualt on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.
President Joe Biden urged Americans on Sunday to never forget the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on their democracy and to not allow the history of that day to be rewritten.
“In time, there will be Americans who didn’t witness the Jan. 6 riot firsthand but will learn about it from footage and testimony of that day, from what is written in history books and from the truth we pass on to our children,” Biden wrote in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post.
More: Biden signs bill to boost Social Security payments for some public sector workers
“We cannot allow the truth to be lost,” he said.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to pardon some of the Jan. 6 defendants and last year described the riot, in which four people died, as a “day of love.”
−Michael Collins
More: Biden urges Americans to never forget Jan. 6 attack: ‘Cannot allow the truth to be lost’
An orderly certification expected – unlike four years ago
No one expects an angry mob this time.
Four years to the day that supporters of Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol and tried to halt the certification of the 2020 election, Congress will usher in a new Trump era on Monday when it gathers to count each state’s electoral votes and officially declare him the winner of last year’s presidential contest.
This time, the proceeding is expected to go off smoothly. No rioters storming the Capitol. No one pushing past police barricades and beating officers with makeshift weapons. No lawmakers running through the Capitol’s corridors in fear of their lives. No sitting president pressuring a vice president to thwart the process.
“I think it will almost be a nonevent,” predicted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
−Michael Collins, Bart Jansen and Sudiksha Kochi
More: A new Donald Trump era: Congress to certify election victory four years after Jan. 6 riot
What happens on Jan. 6?
The House and Senate will convene to count the Electoral College votes from coast to coast and declare the winner of the presidential election.
Since the Capitol riot, Congress has passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which requires approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state’s results, a much higher bar than existed before when any single lawmaker from each chamber could trigger a challenge.
– Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez and Maya Marchel Hoff
When does Trump take office?
The inauguration ceremony will be held on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Around noon on Inauguration Day, the president-elect recites the following oath in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
– Victoria E. Freile
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress certifies Trump’s 2024 victory on Jan. 6: Live updates
