Watch Congress Certify Donald Trump’s Election Victory

President-elect Donald Trump‘s victory in the 2024 election was officially certified by Congress earlier today. Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the joint session, which all the major news networks covered live.

“The votes for president of the United State are as follows,” Harris said, confirming that Trump had received 312 electoral votes to her 226 votes. Both announcements were interrupted by cheers and applause from members of the candidates’ respective parties. Harris went on to certify J.D. Vance‘s election as the nation’s next Vice President.

“This announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice president of the United States,” concluded Harris, who will exit office along with President Joe Biden on Jan. 20 following Trump’s inauguration.

The short—and peaceful—certification stood in marked contrast to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when thousands of of Trump supporters descended on the U.S. Capitol and initiated a large-scale riot that interrupted an otherwise routine part of the transfer of presidential power. Even as Trump’s supporters, and the President-elect himself, have sought to recast the events of that day, the news networks kept in front of mind in their coverage.

“It is impossible to ignore… that [Trump’s] Jan. 6 legacy definitely hovers over this day,” said ABC News’ Kyra Phillips while teeing up the network’s live coverage. Meanwhile, the network’s multiplatform Jay O’Brien called attention to the fact that, four years ago, the “first window” was broken by rioters roughly 20 minutes after today’s election certification took place.

According to The Washington Post, the Justice Department has charged an estimated 1,580 people with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Trump has already said that he intends to pardon many of them, even though polls indicate that a majority of Americas oppose that plan. (Support for mass pardons are more popular among Republican voters and Trump supporters, specifically.)

Prior to overseeing today’s joint congressional session, Harris recorded a message that exclusively premiered during MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principals of American democracy,” she noted. “Today at the United States Capitol, I will perform my constitutional duty.”

“As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile,” Harris added in a tacit reference to the 2021 insurrection. “And it is up to, then, each one of us to stand up for our most cherished principals.”