On a snowy Monday in Washington, D.C., the weather was so bad that the authorities warned people not to travel unless it was really necessary. Federal offices were closed, and many companies told their workers to stay home.
But in a special part of D.C., something important was happening. Four years ago, on January 6, hundreds of people, encouraged by then-President Donald Trump, tried to stop Congress from confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. This was the first time in U.S. history that someone tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. It didn’t work because Vice President Mike Pence did his job by overseeing the Congress session and confirming the election results.
On this snowy January 6, however, things were very different. As the snow fell outside, lawmakers entered the U.S. Congress, and democracy continued with the usual process of confirming election results. There were a few interesting twists: The man who lost last time—Trump—won this time, and the woman who lost, Kamala Harris, had to confirm his victory.
Donald Trump won the 2024 election legitimately. The Congress, which had refused to say he won in 2020, now went through each state’s electoral votes as required. In the U.S., when people vote for a president, they are really voting for a group of electors from that candidate’s party. The candidate who gets the most votes from the electors becomes president.
Kamala Harris, who was the Democratic candidate and the vice president, had to confirm the results even after losing. She stated, “The total number of electors is 538, and the majority needed to win is 270. The vote results are… Donald Trump from Florida received 312 votes, and Kamala Harris from California got 226 votes.” After announcing the vice presidential election results, Harris wrapped up the ceremony.
This meant that the path was set for the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump, to take his oath of office on January 20, for the next four years. The smoothness of January 6, 2025, compared to January 6, 2021, showed that American democracy is strong.
However, it made people wonder: If Donald Trump had lost again, would he have accepted the results as graciously as Kamala Harris did? This time, the U.S. didn’t face a big democratic challenge like before; instead, it avoided one. What happens to democracy over the next four years will be interesting to see.
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