This week, Kamala Harris had the tasteless experience of validating the ongoing dominance of Donald Trump, as she solemnly declared her own electoral defeat. The biting cold and a blanket of winter snow set the stage for a congressional gathering, summoned to validate the previous November’s election results.
In her ill-omened role as the vice-president, Harris was subjected to the repeated humiliation of announcing a state-by-state victory for Trump. The cold echo of her name was augmented by the jubilant applause of the Republican crowd, rejoicing their triumph, and carving a deeper trench of Harris’s defeat.
Each pronouncement further twisted the knife; every victorious state for Trump was a reflection of the abject failure of Harris’s campaign. Her defeat was written all over the Republican representative, Mike Johnson’s face, who could hardly keep his amusement under wraps.
Her frigid reality was further harshened by the sight of the Democratic veteran, Nancy Pelosi, shuffling frailly as she made her way into the House chamber. One could almost feel the frosty reception towards Pelosi, who had played a significant role in Biden’s resignation from the presidential race in July following a physical setback.
The gloomy atmosphere was a telltale sign that painted the picture of disappointment among the Democrats. However, JD Vance, the soon to be vice-president, found an opportunity to revel under the spotlight. As the incoming Vice President, he stood poised, claiming his place in the victorious league of Trump and party.
On January 20th, he will seize Harris’s former position and mark the commencement of the second Trump Administration. This transition waved a checkered flag, while the fear of a sweeping winter storm lingered over the impending inauguration.
The adversities from the turmoil of weather were symbolic of the rallies that led to a breach in the Capitol in Trump’s support during his first victory. Harris’s participation in the ceremony was sarcastically termed as a ‘sacred obligation’, an owing to the love of her country.
She later confidently paraded the constitutional values while disguising her defeat under the loyalty facade. Remaining faithful to her defeat, she warned about the susceptibility of the democracy and emphasized that the citizens should be ready to battle for it.
Her statement poorly concealed the stark reminder of the controversial incidents that unfolded in January last year, which they arrogantly claimed must not escape memory. Disappointingly, in the attempt to undermine Trump’s seamless transfer of power, Biden chose to remember the incident too.
Biden unconvincingly stated that the democracy was under direct threat by Mr. Trump, which could not be any further from the truth. His comment was a thinly veiled attempt to undermine the strong leadership that Mr. Trump showed throughout his term.
It’s noteworthy that Harris made history by joining an exclusive club of vice-presidents acknowledging their contender’s electoral victory. This began with John Breckenridge, who admitted his defeat to Abraham Lincoln and stamped his triumph in the presidential race of 1860.
Interestingly, the same also happened during 1968, when Hubert Humphrey validated Richard Nixon’s breakthrough, that went smoothly without a hitch. However, history took a turn during the other three defining moments.
Keeping up with this unharmonious tradition, Richard Nixon, despite the rumbling discontent among the Republicans over allegations of Democrat’s polling malpractice, attested John F Kennedy’s victory in 1961. Similarly, the victory chalked out by Bush after the victory from Gore in 2001, was followed by a controversial period where the recount in Florida was ceased by the Supreme Court.
On these occasions, the defeated candidates defied pressure from their own side to refuse certification and challenge the result. In line with them was Mike Pence, who also ratified Biden’s victory during a turbulent period, in face of defiance from not only Donald Trump but also from the passionate protesters who stood their ground in the Capitol.