The certification of the results of the 2024 presidential election by a joint session of Congress on Monday was, as the Associated Press called it, “stunningly ordinary.” Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the process, which confirmed that President-elect Donald Trump received 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226.
There were cheers from some Republicans when his wins in Republican-leaning states were announced and some Democrats applauded Harris’ victories in blue states. There were no objections to any of the state vote tallies. Harris gave quick perfunctory remarks, and the ritual that occurs every fourth Jan. 6 was over in less than an hour.
“See how easy it can be? How much difference four years can be?” Washington Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse told Axios on Monday. Newhouse was one of two sitting Republican House members who voted to impeach Trump for his actions on Jan. 6 four years ago.
The lack of drama and objections to the 2024 election results once again highlights the stunning hypocrisy of Trump’s persistent claims of election fraud in 2020. To some apparently, elections are only valid if Trump wins.
Monday’s “ordinary” election certification is also being used to hide or discount what happened four years ago. Far too many Republicans, many of whom spoke out to condemn the violence of Jan. 6, 2021, at the time, are now downplaying what happened that day.
The shocking events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were captured on video for the world to see. Videos and photographs from that day make it clear that many of those who stormed the capitol were not mere tourists on a self-directed tour of the building, as some Republicans continue to claim today. As numerous Republicans said on Jan. 6, 2021, and shortly thereafter, the events of that day were a horrifying assault on our democracy and they should not be forgotten, overlooked or glossed over.
Trump, during a speech near the White House that day, encouraged his supporters to go to the Capitol to “fight like hell” to reverse what he called a “stolen election,” a claim that had long been debunked.
Thousands of these supporters stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and doors. They assaulted police officers, with more than 140 suffering injuries, many of them career ending. Members of Congress hid in fear as the mob looted and destroyed offices. Then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to agree to a scheme to improperly throw the election to Trump, was ushered to safety as members of the mob angrily hunted for him.
A detailed investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives panel found that Trump was initially pleased by the violence and refused urgent pleas from his staff to tell his supporters to stop. He finally issued a video message, hours later, urging people to stop the violence and to go home, which they did.
Our Capitol and our democracy were forever changed that day. We saw that a president intent on staying in office would try anything, including tacitly fueling violence, to subvert the will of American voters. Because of the bravery of hundreds of law enforcement officials, congressional staff and many members of Congress, our democracy held. The results of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden won, were certified. More than 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6 riot were charged with federal crimes and more than 1,200 have been convicted or pleaded guilty, with more than 650 receiving prison sentences.
Trump has pledged to pardon them all, another assault on our democracy and judicial system that should not be overlooked.
In his final days as president in 2021, Trump was quickly impeached by the House for inciting an insurrection, although the Senate failed to convict him. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King voted for conviction. Maine Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree voted to impeach Trump in the U.S. House.
Trump left office under a legal and ethical cloud. He was later indicted on charges related to his mishandling of classified documents and on charges of election interference. The Supreme Court last year ruled that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and federal cases against Trump, who will return to the presidency on Jan. 20, were dropped. Earlier this year, he was convicted in a New York county on 34 felony counts involving a hush money payments scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.
Yet, Trump remains largely unscathed by the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and now he will be returning to the White House amid pledges of retribution against his opponents, including members of the Jan. 6 commission. President Biden last week honored the leaders of the commission with the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation’s highest awards.
Four years after the violence at the capitol, we can’t forget the assault on our democracy that Trump spurred. Although this year’s vote certification was uneventful, we must remain on guard against attempts to subvert and weaken our democracy and to silence, perhaps even harm, those who speak out to protect it.