Washington – Vice President Mike Pence announced just after 3:40 a.m. on Thursday that President-elect Joe Biden had won the presidency, after Congress completed the Electoral College’s vote counting. The confirmation came hours after an attack by rioters storming the Capitol in an attempt to stop the process.
President Trump has now acknowledged his election loss for the first time, saying in a statement released early on Thursday by his social media director that while he disagrees with the election results, “there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”
On Wednesday, the president encouraged his supporters to “walk” to the Capitol as Congress counted the electoral college votes, the largely ceremonial final step in confirming Mr. Biden’s victory. Although Mr. Trump insisted that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to reverse the election results, Pence defied Mr. Trump on Wednesday and made a lengthy statement saying he could not change the outcome.
A few hours later, chaos erupted in the Capitol when an angry mob of rioters – many waving Trump flags or wearing Trump equipment – broke into the building.
Four people died during the attack. Authorities said a woman was shot and killed by police and three people died from medical emergencies.
The violence caused members of Congress to flee from the floor and Congress sat for nearly six hours.
Mr Biden denounced the violence on Wednesday and called on Mr Trump to address the nation. Trump then posted a one-minute video to Twitter telling the rioters that they are “special” but that they “have to go home now.”
Congress reconvened nearly six hours after leaving the hall and picked up where it left off to hear Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Paul Gosar’s objection to the Arizona election results. The Senate rejected the objection 93-6 and the House rejected it 303-121.
Despite phone calls from more than a dozen senators saying they would support objections to election results in major states, no senators signed House members’ objections to the results in Michigan and Nevada.
But Senator Josh Hawley delivered on his promise to object to Pennsylvania’s results. The Senate rejected it 92-7, leaving Parliament for two hours to debate it before it was rejected after 3 a.m.
Since none of the objections had a majority, they had no chance of success. Even if there was a majority on any of the objections, it would not have changed the outcome of the election. Mr. Biden will be sworn in on January 20.