Congress certifies Trump’s election win 4 years after Capitol riot

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

Congress today formally certified president-elect Donald Trump's election victory.

Amna Nawaz:

As congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins explains, it was a routine procedural moment, in striking contrast to the violent insurrection of four years ago.

Lisa Desjardins:

An unusual scene, a winter storm all but shutting down the nation's capital, but Congress at work with a historic charge, counting electoral votes and…

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (D): The votes for president of the United States are as follows.

Lisa Desjardins:

… certifying that former President Donald Trump will soon be president again.

Man:

Donald J. Trump from the state of Florida received…

Lisa Desjardins:

There were no objections, just repeated cheers as winning states for each party were announced.

(Cheering)

Lisa Desjardins:

Presiding over this in her role as vice president, Kamala Harris, the woman who hoped this day would be hers. Instead, she did her duty and gaveled Trump's victory into history.

Kamala Harris:

Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes. Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes.

(Cheering)

Lisa Desjardins:

On social media, former Vice President Mike Pence, who rejected pressure from Trump in 2021, wrote it was "particularly admirable" that she presided over an election she lost.

Harris told reporters Americans must be willing to fight for and respect democracy.

Kamala Harris:

Otherwise, it is very fragile and it will not be able to withstand moments of crisis. And, today, America's democracy stood.

Lisa Desjardins:

For her replacement, a standout moment. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio was present for the certification of his win as Trump's V.P.

Outside, beefed-up security surrounded the Capitol, but the tall barriers stood untested. Snow, rather than protests, blanketed the National Mall.

Protester:

We're not going to take it anymore! This is our country!

Lisa Desjardins:

A stark contrast to four years ago, when a mob of Trump supporters fed lies of a stolen election, easily overwhelmed bike rack barriers, assaulted police and stormed the Capitol. The violence delayed things. Congress returned that evening, with 145 Republicans still voting against certifying. But they failed.

The riot is now the largest prosecution in Department of Justice history. So far, 1,500 people have been charged or convicted for their actions that January 6,590 charged with assaulting or impeding police. Some 700 people have been sentenced to time behind bars so far, but all of them are now on the cusp of a promised pardon from Trump, as he again dressed last month on NBC.

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. President-Elect: Yes, I'm looking first day.

Kristen Welker, Moderator, "Meet the Press": You're going to issue these pardons?

Donald Trump:

These people have been there, how long is it? Three, four years.

Kristen Welker:

OK.

Lisa Desjardins:

Today, on the Senate floor, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called for Trump to reconsider.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

Pardoning the criminals who assaulted police officers and tried to halt the democratic process would be a dangerous endorsement of political violence.

Lisa Desjardins:

President for two more weeks, Joe Biden wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post, calling on Americans to remember January 6 "as a day when our democracy was put to the test and prevailed, to remember that democracy even in America is never guaranteed."

Today, certification again felt like a formality, but it had more unseen guardrails. Reforms passed after the insurrection raised the bar for objecting and clarified the vice president's role as purely ministerial.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD):

I think we will remember the people who were lost, the people who were injured, the people who were wounded and all of their families. But I think we can feel good about the fact that we still at this point have a functioning constitutional democracy.

Lisa Desjardins:

Democratic function will be on display in two weeks, when Trump returns to take the oath of office, his second.

Trump took to social media today to call this a big moment in history Republicans will control the House, Senate and White House, but razor-thin margins mean even the smallest divisions could derail the incoming president's agenda.

Trump wants one massive partisan deal, loading almost every Republican priority into one multi-trillion-dollar tax and spending package to come. That plan is at odds with those announced by other leaders in the capital, who have envisioned smaller, separate bills.

Snow didn't shut down Congress today, but for all the tranquility and normalcy, expectations are for a hard-to-predict and potentially wild ride ahead.

Amna Nawaz:

And to catch us up on the latest news on the Hill today, I'm joined now by our Lisa Desjardins.

Lisa, it was so striking to see those images from four years ago, when a very normal procedure and part of our democracy was upended by violence. I remember you being inside the Capitol four years ago, and you were inside today as it all unfolded without incident. So what were you hearing from lawmakers about the mood?

Lisa Desjardins:

That's right. Amna, you were right outside for that too.

It was an emotional day, and I think surprisingly so. There have been anniversaries of January 6, the date itself, since 2021. But there has not been an anniversary of the Electoral College certification. And I think being in that room today, talking especially to Democrats, was highly emotional. I talked to more than one, a handful even, who were brought to tears, surprisingly.

They didn't mean to come to tears when they were there on the floor, but felt themselves really drawn back into that moment, felt themselves fearing that perhaps something like that isn't all the way out of the realm of possibility now, because there is a real concern, especially from Democrats, but some Republicans I talked to also, about the white Washington of January 6, the idea that it wasn't that big of a deal, the idea that people want to move on, also in that group, Capitol Police officers.

For those who were there that day, it is a spectrum of emotions. Some of them still feel betrayed. In that group is Harry Dunn, the police officer who went on to run for Congress. He told me tonight that, while people are calling to move on, how can they move on when there haven't been consequences and when Trump still hasn't closed the door to this kind of activity?

Other Capitol Police officers, frankly, Amna, are more jaded and some of them that have been there just counting the days to retirement.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa, meanwhile, today, also, Republicans are marking the governing trifecta they have won, control of the White House, the Senate and the House. So what does today mean for them?

Lisa Desjardins:

Right.

For Republicans, this was a celebration. They won the presidency. They were there together, and they also have that trifecta. But there's another layer to it too, Amna. A couple of Republicans admitted to me that for the past four years, they have been sort of carrying the water of this idea of a stolen election, that they couldn't even speak out, many of them, publicly against former President Trump and the lies he told about this.

Now they have won an election, in the words of one, fair and square, so, for them, less shame after these four years. But all of these issues, of course, still remain hovering above the Capitol.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa Desjardins with the latest on a big day on Capitol Hill.

Lisa, thank you.

Lisa Desjardins:

You're welcome.