U.S. Congress certifies Joe Biden’s election win after pro-Trump mob storms Capitol

By Vanessa Doban

Posted January 7, 2021 12:41 am.

Last Updated January 7, 2021 7:16 am.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEWS 1130) – Senators in the U.S. have officially certified the presidential election victory for Joe Biden.

Lawmakers tallied the electoral votes Wednesday night into Thursday morning, confirming Biden received 306 electoral votes, while Donald Trump received 232.

The vote comes after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to stop the process of certifying Biden’s win. Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20.

After the final votes were certified, Vice President Mike Pence announced, “The whole number of electors appointed to vote for president of the United States is 538. Within that whole number, a majority is 270. The votes for president of the United States are as follows: Joseph R. Biden Jr. of the state of Delaware has received 306 votes. Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 232 votes.”

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Pence went on to announce Kamala Harris received 306 votes to claim the vice-presidency.

“The 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, for the term beginning January 20, 2021,” Pence concluded.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino shared a statement attributed to Trump after the certification.

“Even thought I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” it reads in part.

As Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Trump lost privileges to his Twitter account for 12 hours, for posts which seemed to incite the violence. Twitter said that future violations by Trump could result in a permanent suspension of his account.

https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1346970430062485505

Trump also won’t be able to post on Facebook and Instagram for 24 hours due to violating that company’s terms. The White House did not immediately offer a response to the actions.

The violent mob breached the Capitol in a chaotic protest against the ceremonial process of certifying the Electoral votes in Congress. The Capitol was put on lockdown for hours, as swarms of rioters tore through windows and doors with weapons, and lawmakers were rushed to safety.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver, a small pro-Trump protest broke out in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

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