4 years after Jan. 6 insurrection, Kamala Harris certifies Trump's election win
Security is heightened after 4 years ago, but snow might be a bigger threat.
Four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, sending lawmakers scrambling for safety and throwing what was traditionally a routine ceremonial process -- certifying the electoral vote -- into chaos.
Trump later was charged criminally in an unprecedented case with an alleged scheme to overturn the results 2020 election, a case only recently dropped following his presidential election victory on Nov. 5.
On Monday, Trump's win was officially certified by lawmakers in a joint session of Congress.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump, presided over the ceremony as president of the Senate.
Republicans cheered loudly as she announced Trump's 312 electoral votes, while Democrats did the same for her 226 votes.
Monday's events marked a return to the ministerial task at had long been a subdued affair until Trump's challenge of his loss to President Joe Biden, though heightened security measures remained in place.
A winter snowstorm blanketed Washington but lawmakers forged ahead with the constitutionally mandated responsibility. The House floor was packed with lawmakers for the count, which was the final step in validating Electoral College results.
This year, President Biden emphasized the importance of America's bedrock principle of a peaceful transfer of power but urged the country to never forget what happened in 2021.
"We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault," Biden wrote in an op-ed published late Sunday by the Washington Post. "And we should be glad we will not see such a shameful attack again this year."
Harris, too, called it a "sacred obligation" -- one she said she would "uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution and my unwavering faith in the American people."
As she made her way to the House chamber, Harris was asked what people should take away from Monday's events.
"Democracy must be upheld by the people," she said, raising one finger in the air.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who was just elected to a second term to lead the House with Trump's assistance, and Vice President Harris called the chamber to order shortly after 1 p.m. ET after the procession of ballots and senators through the Capitol.
Harris opened the votes from each state and handed them to the House tellers, who read aloud the result.
Unlike in 2021, there were no objections to the results. Harris conceded to Trump the day after Election Day, and no Democrats have challenged the outcome as many Republican allies of Trump did in 2020.
Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a senator from Ohio after being tapped to be Trump's running mate, was seated in the front row during the count.
Trump, ahead of the certification, posted on his social media platform that it will be "A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!"
The president-elect will be sworn in on Monday, Jan. 20.
Trump has claimed his win is a "mandate" from the American people to implement his agenda for the economy, immigration and more.
He is returning to the White House with Republicans controlling both the House and Senate. The 119th Congress was sworn in last Friday.
ABC News' Allison Pecorin and John Parkinson contributed to this report.
