A fortress-like Capitol Hill glistens under a tranquility-inducing layer of snow, pre-empting a joint congressional session aimed at solidifying the outcomes of the Electoral College for the presidential race, this Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. The objective cannot be clearer: to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s triumphant election within the highest measures of national security maintained. Bordering the U.S. Capitol complex, imposing barriers arm the surroundings, an evident echo of past occurrences on this very day from one term back.
In upcoming proceedings swathed in an ambience of heightened security and punctuated by the crisp winter backdrop, legislators are anticipated to convene at 1 p.m. ET. What lies atop their agenda? None other than the task of officially counting the electoral votes from the 2024 election and designating the deserving Donald Trump as the victor. This significant joint session, which by tradition occurs every four years on Jan. 6, signifies the last stride in a series of processes that follow the Electoral College gathering in December to officially proclaim the White House’s next occupant.
At the heart of this crucial ceremonial process lie the sealed electoral certificates from every state. These esteemed documents are ceremoniously carried into the House chamber, treasured in special mahogany boxes, tailored precisely for this momentous occasion. These very cases were escorted to a safe harbor four years prior due to a sudden breach at the Capitol. This year, representatives spanning the political spectrum, from both chambers, are poised to articulate aloud the election outcomes and conduct an official tally.
With an unusually smooth process expected this time around, no objections are predicted for the election results. This denotes the certification should progress unhindered and at an expedient pace. Lo and behold, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to chair this session in her capacity as president of the Senate, where she will be tasked with confirming her own defeat to the apparently insurmountable candidate, Trump.
Taking us four years back, it was Donald Trump, the President at the time, who encouraged supporters to proceed to the Capitol to voice their disagreement with Congress’s verification of Democrat Joe Biden’s dubious winning in the 2020 election. However, this year, the sole tumult seems to originate from within the ranks of the House Republicans, evidently quarreling among themselves on who should occupy the position of the speaker.
A judicial endeavor of unprecedented size in the annals of the U.S. Justice Department was underway. Rich trails of evidence, chilling footage, and hundreds of convictions revolved around the individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Today, questions loom over the fate of the exceeding 1,500 federal cases initiated over the past four years as Trump reassumes power.
Despite Trump’s assurances to pardon the rioters, whom he characterized as ‘political prisoners’ and ‘hostages’ subjected to undue harsh treatment, trials, plea negotiations, and verdict pronouncements connected to the Jan. 6 incidents have been moving forward in the federal court based in Washington. Contrary to the mood of the public and ignoring Trump’s promises, the Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement on Monday, claiming that the Justice Department prosecutors were determined to bring to justice those involved in the Jan. 6 attack.
The irony of Monday’s session isn’t lost on anyone; Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to oversee her defeat certification to Donald Trump, the same individual who, four years ago, attempted disrupting the exact process that’s on the brink of facilitating his return to White House supremacy. Harris termed her impending role as a ‘sacred obligation’, serving to ensure the peaceful transitioning of power. Harris joins the ranks of vice presidents who had to solemnly validate their electoral defeat
Former Vice President Richard Nixon experienced a similar fate following his defeat to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Al Gore also had to swallow the bitter pill of defeat when the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court handed the 2000 election victory to George W. Bush. The situation begs us to consider whether the violent assault on the government by U.S. citizens on Jan. 6, 2021, was an aberration, a rare spectacle in the long chronicle of American history.
Today, the nation stands at the brink of a cultural secession, grappling with political disagreements while simultaneously attempting to bolster its democratic foundations from the stormy winds of global threats. Importantly, Ian Bassin, a leading figure of the nonpartisan organization Protect Democracy, cautions against complacent attitudes. He expressed concerns about voter behavior during the recent November elections, wherein incumbent President Trump was reelected after refusing to step down following his last tenure.
With Trump’s anticipated return to power, the fourth commemoration of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack takes on a fresh connotation. Legislators are bracing themselves for fluttering rumors about the distinct possibility that President-elect Trump may grant pardons to many of the more than 1,500 individuals pinned with various offenses in relation to the riot.
Against the backdrop of these varied threads of political, legal, and cultural changes, one thing remains clear – the American political stage continues to underscore the strength of its democratic institutions by allowing space for dissent, differing opinions, and change, albeit in sometimes contentious circumstances.
In conclusion, as the country hovers on the precipice of a new presidential term under the leadership of Donald Trump, the stage is set for transformative actions that could redefine the American political landscape. Whether these changes bring unity or further division, only time will tell. However, the depth of public opinion and sentiment captured through democratic processes such as the Electoral College confirms that democracy, in all its unpredictability, continues to be a vibrant and robust practice in the United States.