With the Capitol armored and Washington covered by a blanket of snow, the United States Congress this Monday certified Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential elections on November 5. Unlike four years ago, when a violent mob attacked the headquarters of the legislative branch due to Trump’s refusal to recognize his defeat at the polls against Joe Biden, this Monday the procedure has been routine. The only one violenceIt consisted of some snowball throwing among the children who were enjoying the first big snowfall of winter in the capital in the surrounding areas. Trump will regain power on January 20 and has promised massive pardons for those prosecuted for the 2021 assault on the Capitol. Biden, meanwhile, asks Americans not to forget what happened on January 6 of that year.
The joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives has been computing the votes of the electors of the States within the indirect system of election of the president of the United States. Trump, who won the elections with a difference of 2.3 million in the popular vote, obtained 312 votes in the Electoral College compared to Kamala Harris’ 226. The Democratic candidate, as acting vice president of the United States, was in charge of presiding over the session that certified her rival’s victory. It is a bitter pill that Al Gore already endured against George W. Bush in 2001.
Along with Harris, Mike Johnson, newly elected president, presided over the joint session.of the House of Representatives. Among the parliamentarians, eyes were frequently directed at Senator JD Vance, vice president-elect.
Ceremonially, the ushers introduced the votes into the Chamber in the mahogany boxes arranged for the occasion. Then, in alphabetical order of the States, the congressmen in charge of this have declared the electoral votes “regular in form and authentic” and reading which candidate they corresponded to. Republicans have applauded the votes for Trump and Vance, and Democrats have applauded those for Harris and Tim Walz (their number two on the ballot). Unlike four years ago, no one has challenged any of the votes and the process has been completed in approximately half an hour.
“We cannot forget”
Biden, meanwhile, recalled what happened four years ago in an article published this Monday in Washington Post. He has noted that for much of American history, the procedure was considered a routine act. “After what we witnessed on January 6, 2021, we know we can no longer take it for granted. “Violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol, threatened the lives of elected officials and attacked brave law enforcement officers,” he said.
“We should be proud that our democracy withstood this assault. And we should be glad that we will not witness such a shameful attack again this year. But we must not forget. We must remember the wisdom of the adage that any nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it. “We cannot accept a repeat of what happened four years ago,” he wrote. In some way, the strong security device, with fences on a wide perimeter around the Capitol, also served as a reminder. For the first time, the day had been designated by authorities as a “special national security event.”
The current president denounces that “a relentless effort has been launched to rewrite – even erase – the history of that day.” “To tell us that we didn’t see what we all saw with our own eyes. To dismiss concerns about it as some kind of partisan obsession. To explain it as a protest that simply got out of hand. “This is not what happened,” he emphasizes, before insisting: “We cannot allow the truth to be lost.”
“We must commit to remembering January 6, 2021 every year. Remember it as a day when our democracy was tested and prevailed. Remember that democracy, even in the United States, is never guaranteed. Four years later, as I leave office, I am determined to do everything possible to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the traditions we have long respected in the United States,” says Biden. The president also indicates that he has invited Trump to the White House on the morning of January 20 and that he will be present at his inauguration that day.
Despite these good manners, the relationship between both political rivals leaves much to be desired. Trump has criticized the current president through his social network. “Biden is doing everything he can to make the transition as difficult as possible, from lawfarelike never seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the New Green Scam and other money-wasting scams,” he wrote.
Sentence for 34 crimes
With the mention of lawfare Trump was probably referring to the fact that he is scheduled next Friday to hear the sentencing for the 34 crimes of falsification of accounting records, checks and invoices of which he was found guilty by a popular jury last May (although Biden has nothing to do with it). that case). His lawyers have asked that the hearing be suspended and have announced that they will appeal the judge’s decision to hand down the sentence. And regarding the “New Green Scam”, the president-elect was referring to Biden’s decision to prohibit the exploration and production of hydrocarbons on the US coast, issued this Monday.
Biden has protected the offshore areas of the eastern and western coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska’s northern Bering Sea from future deals for oil and natural gas drilling. The president assures that his decision has the support of coastal communities, who know that marine drilling could cause irreversible environmental damage.
Biden’s orders would not affect large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, where most U.S. offshore drilling takes place, but would protect the coasts of California, Florida and other states from future drilling.
Trump, who has promised to relax environmental protections for oil and gas production, assures that he will repeal these executive orders, but the law does not provide for presidential mechanisms to reverse the protection, so this would require passing a law in Congress. , where Republicans have a slim majority.
