The quiet process contrasted with efforts by Trump’s own supporters to overturn his 2020 defeat by storming the U.S. Capitol.

The US Congress has certified Donald Trump’s November election victory presidential electionclearing the final hurdle for him to return to the White House later this month.

A ceremony in Congress on Monday officially confirmed the 2024 Electoral College results.

The event, overseen by Trump’s chief rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, passed quickly and without fanfare.

“Today is obviously a very important day,” Harris, who also serves as Senate president, said in subsequent remarks.

“This is about what should be the norm and what the American people should be able to take for granted, which is that one of the most important pillars of our democracy is the peaceful transfer of power.”

The largely procedural event was in stark contrast to the last time Congress met to certify the Electoral College vote. January 6, 2021.

During that ceremony, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn then-President Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.

Lawmakers were forced to evacuate as doors were smashed, police were attacked and a protester was shot dead while trying to enter the room through a broken window.

The attack came after Trump held a rally near the Ellipse south of the White House where he reiterated false claims that the election was stolen due to massive fraud.

Critics harshly condemned the attack as an attack on democracy, and the U.S. Justice Department has since charged 1,583 participants and federal crimes.

As of Monday, approximately 1,009 people had pleaded guilty, including 327 to felony charges.

Trump himself faces two criminal indictments for trying to overturn the 2020 election results: a federal case in Washington, D.C., was recently dismissed, while a state-level case in Georgia has stalled but is still ongoing.

Four years later, however, Trump would return to power after his most successful presidential campaign to date.

In November, Trump won 312 Electoral College votes and Harris won 226, becoming the first Republican candidate to win the election. popular vote Since 2004.

Trump’s Republican Party will also control Congress after the election win majority In the House and Senate.

Many in the party have since embraced the Republican leader’s false claims about the 2020 election.

“Congress certified our great election victory today – a momentous moment in history. Magga!” Trump wrote on his platform, The Truth Society, on Monday, using his slogan “Let America Abbreviation for “Make Great Again”.

At the same time, Harris urged respect for the principles of American democracy. She cited Monday’s peace certification as an example of the right path forward.

“I do believe very strongly that American democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it,” she said. “Otherwise it is very fragile and cannot withstand times of crisis.”