Congress met Monday as snow-covered security guards surrounded the Capitol to formally recognize President-elect Donald Trump's historic political comeback.
The counting of votes certified by each of the 50 states in December will officially confirm President Trump's 312 electoral votes, just two weeks before Inauguration Day.
The ceremony marks a monumental victory for Trump, who will take over the Mar-a-Lago process and continue preparing for his post-inauguration sprint.
“Congress certifies our landslide electoral victory today. This is a huge moment in history. MAGA!” exuberant Trump Posted Monday morning Truth Social.
The U.S. Capitol building is largely deserted due to a rare snowstorm in Washington, but is blocked off by blocks of security perimeter fencing. Crowds will not gather and cheer, and the area around the parliament building will be barred to protesters and even tourists.
The process and timelines are largely dictated by law and precedent, but the Election Counting Act of 2022 changed the process. Still, unexpected fireworks can occur.
Each room will be temporarily givenled at noon. At 12:40 p.m. ET, senators will gather in the Senate chamber and then walk south through the Capitol to the House chamber.
The joint session begins at 1 p.m. ET. Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the certification of victory for President Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
Harris' ceremonial role in rubber-stamping Trump's victory and cementing her own defeat may become her lasting political legacy over a decades-long political career.
Electoral votes are certified alphabetically by state. Each certificate is opened and inspected by four “counters,” two from each chamber.
Members of Congress can object to each state's electoral votes at this point. However, unlike in past years when it only took one House member and one senator to suspend proceedings, the objection must be submitted in writing, and at least one-fifth of the House of Representatives and at least one-fifth of the House 1/1 signature is required. Fifth in the Senate.
This poses a high hurdle, and the grounds for opposition have been narrowed down by election tabulation laws.
Harris' role as vice president will be “exclusively Cabinet minister.” She has no power to influence the outcome. Her main contribution was the announcement of the results after the official tally.
Barring Democratic theatrics, the process is expected to take about an hour.
There are strong signs that Democrats will tolerate opposition to the count. But Democrats have a long history of opposing Republican victories, and have opposed every Republican presidential victory since 2000.
This history is unlikely to stop Democrats from trying to present themselves as the moral high ground.
But don't count out the individual Democrats who are likely to be part of the unruly group of House Democratic caucuses causing the mayhem. It was only 15 months ago that former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) set off a fire alarm in the House office building, delaying a vote on a critical government spending vote.
Bowman lost in last year's primary and left. However, many of the squad's colleagues remain. And new members of the caucus may be looking to make a name for themselves in the early days of Democratic resistance to Trump and his Republican majority on Capitol Hill.
Regardless of the potential Democratic shenanigans, the day marked a significant victory for Trump and his movement, with jubilant Congressional Republicans hoping to formalize the governing trifecta, even if only temporarily. will come together to celebrate.
Updated at 1:42 PM ET:
Today's historic joint session to certify the 2024 election results was notable not only for what happened, but also for what didn't happen. The trial lasted only about 30 minutes. The results for a single state were not disputed. At the 2021 certification, there were no masks (save for a few in the press gallery) reminiscent of pandemic-era chaos. There was no sign that Democrats were pushing back on the 2017 finding that Russian collusion disinformation polluted the air.
The second Trump administration is poised to be vastly different and potentially much more productive than the first. The Republican Party is united around President Trump's policies. And Democrats stand in the wilderness without a clear leader, perfectly symbolized by Harris, who will preside over Monday's proceedings. History was made today, but there is much more to come.
Updated at 1:35 PM ET:
Congress certified the 2024 election results. It is now official. Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. In a cruel twist of fate, Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's opponent in the 2024 election, will announce the results and slam the gavel dissolving the joint session.
Updated at 1:34 PM ET:
Harris announced the vice presidential vote totals. Vance's voice filled the room. The Democrats' applause was clearly a formality for Walz.
Updated at 1:33 PM ET:
Harris read the tally and announced Florida's 312 votes for Donald J. Trump. The house and gallery cheered. This would be disastrous for Harris. She silenced the room by banging her gavel before reading her tally as Democrats cheered. What a surreal moment.
Updated at 1:32 PM ET:
In Wyoming, votes for Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance have been announced. This tally is officially compiled by the counter staff.
Updated at 1:27 PM ET:
When Ohio's 17 electors voted for Trump and Vance, Republicans in the chamber were in an uproar. As I mentioned earlier, Vance is on the floor today.
Updated at 1:26 PM ET:
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) wears a black “Dark MAGA” hat.
Updated at 1:25pm ET:
As Punchbowl News notes, Sen. Mitch McConnell is conspicuously absent from the chamber today. Mr. McConnell will be relieved of the burden of leadership and will likely block much of Mr. Trump's agenda this Congress.
Updated at 1:24 PM ET:
Today is certainly a difficult day for many Democrats. As The Hill's Michael Schnell points out, all five Democrats on the Jan. 6 committee to select Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are in attendance. Pelosi sits with her longtime leadership partner, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), a stern expression on her face and a cell phone in her hand that she regularly checks. Most Democrats stare blankly ahead or look at their phones, only lifting their heads to applaud when the votes for Harris and Tim Walz are announced.
Updated at 1:19pm ET:
House and Senate “representatives” announce that each certificate “appears to be legitimate and authentic in form,” before quickly moving on to the next state's certificate. We breeze through here and are already in Minnesota.
Updated at 1:15pm ET:
Three days ago, when Mr Johnson fought his first voting battle to retain the gavel and ultimately won a dramatic victory, the atmosphere in the House of Commons was very different. Today's proceedings are unlikely to result in much drama, especially after the amendments forced by election tabulation laws. So far, things are going well. We're already in Kansas.
Updated at 1:11pm ET:
Senators don't often visit the House floor, with a few exceptions (former Congressman Sen. Markwayne Mullen (R-Okla.) is often in the chamber; in today's joint session , senators sit in the first two rows) while congressmen are relegated to the rear.
The announcement of California's electoral victory for Harris drew applause from the Democratic Party. There won't be much more applause from Democrats this afternoon.
Updated at 1:08 PM ET:
It was announced that Alabama and its nine electors would vote for Trump and Vance, drawing applause from Republicans. Next is Alaska. Aggregation continues alphabetically.
Updated at 1:06 PM ET:
Harris slammed the gavel and called a joint session. I started.
Updated at 1:05 PM ET:
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is here as a senator.
Updated at 1:04 PM ET:
The House floor and press gallery are full, but the gallery is noticeably empty, perhaps only a quarter (or less) full. Of course, elections are only certified once every four years, but they are usually full. Under normal circumstances, after such a historic election, the building would burst open at any moment. This is a good indicator of the dire travel situation in and around Washington.
Updated at 12:59 PM ET:
The House chamber was filled to capacity with senators lining up one after another. Everyone stands up and greets each other. There was a lot of yelling even in the press gallery. The joint session will be quiet as soon as it begins, but should be over within a few minutes.
Updated at 12:56 PM ET:
The house was restored to order. Vice President Kamala Harris led the Senate into the chamber and greeted House members. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IO) led the group of senators as Seante Pro Tempore.
Updated at 12:56 PM ET:
The District of Columbia is ill-prepared to deal with more than 8 inches of snow (and potentially more) that began early Monday morning. The federal government is closed today, but Congress is, of course, in session. Congress is not in session on Office of Personnel Management hours. Most roads remain impassable, but snow plows appear to be concentrating around the Capitol to ensure lawmakers can fulfill their constitutional duties today. For many new Representatives and Senators, this is sure to be a memorable start to their new jobs.
Updated at 12:43 PM ET:
A quorum (majority plus one) is required in both houses today. Although some members may be stuck at home due to the snowstorm making travel difficult, it is expected that a quorum will be easily met. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) asked lawmakers to remain in Washington over the weekend (the House Republican conference met Saturday to discuss budget reconciliation strategies), but many have returned home and are here. There is a possibility that there is no. Democratic Party attendance is expected to vary, but it seems unlikely that a quorum will be easily met.
Updated at 12:36 PM ET:
House members are beginning to trickle into the House chamber, with more than a dozen mostly Republicans already seated. There are still about 20 minutes until the joint session starts, but seats will fill up quickly.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News' Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
