U.S. lawmakers certify Trump win, four years after Capitol riot

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hits the gavel after reading the vote totals as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson looks on during of a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election, inside the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Monday in Washington. | AFP-JIJI

BY FRANKIE TAGGART AND MICHAEL MATHES
January 7, 2025

WASHINGTON – Congress on Monday certified U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's election victory, a formality that was remarkable for its contrast to four years ago, when the Republican summoned a mob to Washington that ransacked the U.S. Capitol.

The president-elect spent much of his campaign facing prosecution over the 2021 insurrection, when his supporters — fueled by his false claims of voter fraud — rioted to halt the certification of his defeat to Joe Biden.

But Trump, 78, was voted back into office in November and Monday's ceremony went much more smoothly, even with a major winter storm blanketing the capital and much of the country in snow.