WASHINGTON — In a brief and seamless ceremony Monday afternoon, the U.S. Congress affirmed President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance winners of the 2024 presidential election.
Four years after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and delayed the certification of the election for over 14 hours, Monday’s ceremony lasted just 30 minutes, interrupted only by cheers and applause from the members themselves, in support of their candidates.
This year, the scene was calm outside the Capitol. The complex was surrounded by fencing and a large police presence, and the streets were largely empty, blanketed by five inches of snow from a massive storm the previous night.
Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the joint session in her role as president of the Senate, marking just the third time in U.S. history a losing presidential candidate presided over Congress as it certified the election for their opponent.
In a post on social media, Trump cheered Congress’ action. “CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY,” Trump wrote. “MAGA!”
Trump won November’s vote by a narrow margin — 49.9% of the popular vote, to Harris’ 48.4% — but his sweep of all seven battleground states delivered him a landslide electoral victory. He secured 312 Electoral College votes, and Harris won 226.
During Monday’s ceremony, members frequently stood to applaud when their state’s votes were announced, and the applause was loudest for the decisive battleground states, like Pennsylvania’s 19 votes and Wisconsin’s 10 votes. There were no objections to any state’s electoral votes.
In 2022, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, in an attempt to prevent delayed certification, as occurred in 2021. The bill raised the threshold for members of Congress to object to electoral votes: any objection must be supported by one-fifth of the Senate and one-fifth of the House, instead of by a single member. Further, the law clarified that the vice president’s position is “solely ministerial,” and has no power to overturn the votes.
In 2021, Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to unlawfully interfere with the election results, which Pence declined to do.
At the conclusion of Monday’s ceremony, when the total of 312 Electoral College votes were declared for Trump and Vance, the Republican side of the chamber erupted into applause and cheers.
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., reads the certification for Alabama during a joint session of Congress to confirm the Electoral College votes, affirming President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. | Matt Rourke
Utah delegation responds to Trump’s victory
As each states’ votes were called, Rep. Burgess Owens shot a group text to the rest of the Utah delegation saying he would stand and applaud when the state’s votes were announced.
On cue, the four U.S. House members from Utah — scattered across the Republican side of the chamber — stood and applauded when the six Utah votes were confirmed.
Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, said Monday’s ceremony was “painless and drama free.”
“I think a lot of people were hoping for more excitement, but it just went along like clockwork,” Maloy said, shortly after exiting the chamber. She represents Utah’s 3rd District.
Rep. Burgess Owens in a statement to the Deseret News thanked Trump for giving Congress “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver on the America First agenda.”
“From securing our borders and rebuilding our economy to restoring law and order and unlocking the American Dream for every child in every zip code, House Republicans are ready to fight, ready to lead, and ready to win,” said Owens, a Republican who represents Utah’s 4th District.
The newest member of Utah’s delegation, Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, said in a statement to the Deseret News, “It was an honor to have the opportunity to vote to certify the 2024 election results.”
Kennedy, who represents Utah’s 3rd District, said he looked forward to working with the Trump administration. He is filling the seat left vacant by Rep. John Curtis, who now represents Utah in the Senate.
