US Vice-Pres. Kamala Harris, in her role as president of the Senate, Monday presided over a joint session of Congress, certifying Pres.-elect Donald Trump's victory with 312 electoral votes to her 226 votes in a peaceful half-hour ceremony.
The certification process occurred under heightened security measures, including reinforced fencing and additional law enforcement, four years after Trump supporters took part in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol while Congress attempted to certify Joe Biden's win over Trump in the 2020 election.
While Republicans continue to obfuscate the tragedies of Jan. 6, 2021, that day's insurrection shows how fragile US institutions can be. But Harris and the Democrats have again proven to be the defenders of democracy by certifying Trump's win without objections — something Republicans failed to do despite lacking evidence of anything untoward in the 2020 results.
Give Democrats some credit: this was the first time in two decades they didn't object to a Republican president's victory. Defenders of democracy wouldn't have arrested and imprisoned hundreds of patriots who were calling attention to irregularities in the 2020 results. The new administration can't take over and get America back on the right track soon enough.