Congress certified this Monday afternoon Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential elections in proceedings that unfolded without violence or chaos, in stark contrast to the violence of January 6, 2021, when his mob of followers stormed the Capitol. Even in her role as Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris officiated the victory of her adversary last November.
The lawmakers met under strict security measures and a snowstorm to meet the deadline established by law to certify the election, but the legacy of January 6 leaves an extraordinary fact: the candidate who tried to overturn the previous election won this time and is legitimately returning to power.
High black fences flanked the Capitol complex as a grim reminder of what happened four years ago, when a defeated Trump sent his mob to "fight like hell" in what became the fiercest attack on the seat of American democracy in 200 years.
How was Donald Trump's victory certification?
With pomp and tradition, this time the day unfolded as it has countless times before, with the arrival of ceremonial mahogany boxes filled with electoral certificates from the states. Those same boxes four years ago had to be protected while the Trump mob stormed the building.
The senators walked through the Capitol, which four years ago had been filled with rioters and wandering militias, some defecating and threateningly calling out to the leaders, one disguised, others engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the police, to begin certifying the vote.
Vice President Kamala Harris led the proceedings and read the Electoral College vote count: "Donald J. Trump, from the state of Florida, received 312 votes... Kamala D. Harris, from the state of California, received 226 votes."
The camera erupted in applause, first the Republicans for Trump, then the Democrats for Harris.
The whole process happened quickly and without disturbances. One by one, the results from the states were read out loud by the informants as the senators and representatives sat in their seats. Vice President-elect JD Vance joined his former colleagues. In half an hour, the process was finished.
There was no violence, protests, or procedural objections in Congress this time. Republicans who challenged the results of the 2020 election when Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden had no reservations this year after he defeated Harris.
And the Democrats, frustrated by Trump's victory in the Electoral College accepted the election of the American voters. Even the winter snow covering the grounds did not interfere with January 6, the day established by law to certify the vote.
Trump said in an online post on Monday that Congress was certifying a "big" electoral victory and called it "a great moment in history."
The return to the American tradition of peaceful transfer of presidential power comes with an asterisk: Trump is preparing to take office in two weeks with a renewed sense of authority. He denies having lost four years ago, mentions the possibility of remaining beyond the two-term limit established by the Constitution and promises to pardon some of those accused in the Capitol siege.