Snow shovels replaced riot gear on Capitol Hill on Monday and de-icing materials dotted the sidewalks that four years prior were stained by bear and pepper spray, as Congress made Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory official on the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
No Democratic lawmakers rose to challenge any state’s electoral results during the joint session of the Senate and House, meaning the president-elect and Vice President-elect JD Vance are set to be sworn in on Jan. 20. And there were no loud protests from the galleries, which were peppered with many empty seats.
“The whole number of the electors … is 538. Within that whole number, the majority is 270. The totals for president of the United States are as follows: Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida received 312 votes,” Vice President Kamala Harris, in her constitutional role as Senate president, said as the Republican side stood and cheered loudly in a rather awkward scene.
