- During a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, House Democrats did not challenge President-elect Donald Trump's win despite their previous warnings.
- The certification, presided over by outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, was conducted smoothly and without incident – contrasting sharply with the chaos of the 2021 certification.
- The Democrats' decision to certify Trump's victory without objection was a stark contrast to their previous stance, where they criticized Republicans for questioning the 2020 election results.
- This year's peaceful certification contrasts with the violent insurrection at the Capitol in 2021, where a mob of Trump supporters attempted to overturn President Joe Biden's victory.
- While Democrats have long criticized Trump's attacks on democratic institutions, they ultimately chose to respect the will of the voters, highlighting the complexities of their relationship with the former president.
Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump's victory in 2024 election during a joint session Monday, Jan. 6. But in a striking reversal of their previous stance, Democrats in the lower house did not challenge his win – despite previous warnings and rhetoric of election denial.
The certification, which affirmed Trump's decisive 312 Electoral College votes, stood in stark contrast to the party's earlier vows to resist a Trump presidency and its condemnation of Republicans who questioned the 2020 election results.
The certification process, presided over by outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris in her capacity as the Senate president, unfolded smoothly and without incident. Monday's joint session was a far cry from the chaos of Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn President Joe Biden's victory. Harris, who certified her own defeat, called the peaceful transfer of power "one of the most important pillars of our democracy."
Yet the Democrats' decision to certify Trump’s victory without objection raised eyebrows, given their past criticisms of GOP members who challenged election results. Notably, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a prominent figure in the Jan. 6 committee investigation, had previously expressed deep skepticism about Trump's commitment to fair elections.
"If Trump won a free, fair, and honest election, then we would obviously accept it," Raskin told Axios in an interview last year. "[But] I definitely don’t assume that Trump would use free, fair, and honest means to secure a victory." (Related: HYPOCRISY ALERT: Democrats say they won't certify election if Trump wins because he's "dangerous to democracy.")
Raskin accused Trump of "manipulating Electoral College counts" and "imposing other kinds of impediments" to sway the election in his favor. This time around, the congressman for the Old Line State and his Democratic colleagues ultimately chose not to object to the president-elect's victory.
Trump's decisive win stifles claims of election fraud
The contrast between Democrats' actions in 2024 and their rhetoric in previous years was impossible to ignore.
Democrats lambasted the GOP for objecting to Biden's victory, labeling the Jan. 6, 2021 false flag riot a "violent insurrection" and accusing Trump of inciting an attack on democracy. More than 1,500 people have been imprisoned in connection with the Capitol breach, which Democrats have repeatedly cited as evidence of the dangers of election denialism.
Yet in 2024, when faced with a Trump victory, Democrats opted for unity over division. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had signaled as much last year, stating that Democrats would "ensure that the winner of the presidential election is certified on Jan. 6 without drama or consequences."
The certification process itself was a model of decorum, with lawmakers from both parties applauding the results as Harris read the electoral tallies. The scene stood in sharp contrast to the chaos of Jan. 6, 2021, when protesters roamed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to flee for their safety.
For their part, the GOP welcomed the peaceful transition of power. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who led the House floor challenge to Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, said Trump's decisive win this time had stifled claims of election fraud. "I think the win was so decisive," Biggs said.
Meanwhile, Democrats emphasized their commitment to democracy even in defeat. "There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle," Jeffries declared last week, drawing applause from his colleagues.
Still, the Democrats’ decision to certify Trump’s victory without objection highlighted the complexities of their relationship with the former president. While they have long criticized Trump's attacks on democratic institutions, they ultimately chose to respect the will of the voters – a decision that some might view as hypocritical given their past rhetoric.
"Today, America's democracy stood," Harris said after the certification. But as Trump prepares to return to the White House on Jan. 20, the question remains whether this year's peaceful certification will become the norm or if the chaos of 2021 was merely an anomaly.
Watch this report from Fox News about outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris overseeing the certification of President-elect Donald Trump's election victory.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Roger Stone warns Biden executive order could allow Democrats to BLOCK a Trump election win.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.
