US Congress confirms Biden win, Trump says 'there will be an orderly transition'

World

Published: 2021-01-07 09:58

Last Updated: 2024-03-29 07:37


Editor: Priyanka Navani

Photo: BBC
Photo: BBC

Hours after pro-Trump rioters seiged the Capitol in an unprecented attack that left Americans outraged, Congress resumed the electoral vote count and formally confirmed President-elect Biden's win.

After the announcement, Trump said in a statement that "there will be an orderly transition."

"I have always said we would continue our ... fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!"

It was the electoral vote count that inspired rioters, the majority of whom subscribe to Trump's baseless allegations of mass voter fraud, to overtake the Capitol.

As the electoral count resumed, some Republican House representatives continued to attempt to overturn Biden's win in key swing states. However, as Congress has effectively no ability to affect election results, the attempts mostly served as a delay to the inevitable verification of Biden's win.

Other Republicans, like Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, urged lawmakers to proceed with the voting process, saying that objections have long been proven fruitless. Republican Senator Mitt Romney went a step further to hold President Trump accountable for the actions on Capitol Hill that left four dead, parts of the building desecrated, put Washington DC on an ongoing lockdown. 

What happened today is a revolt instigated by the president of the United States," said Romney.

Democrats mirrored Romney's outrage, with nearly three dozen Democratic lawmakers calling for the president's impeachment. 

“This is on Donald Trump, period,” tweeted Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. 

“He called folks to D.C. and gave them marching orders. He needs to be impeached and removed immediately.”

Hours before rioters stormed the Capitol, President Trump spoke to his supporters, reigniting calls for action against election fraud, and telling them to 'Walk up to the Capitol.'

Shortly after videos surfaced of rioters entering House and Senate chambers, Trump posted a video on Twitter telling supporters that it was time to 'go home' as we 'need peace.' He also affirmed his love for his supporters whom he called 'special people,' and continued to make claims of a fraudulent election.

President Trump has since been locked out of his Twitter account, with the social media giant accusing him of inciting violence. Facebook similarily temporarily banned Trump for the same reason. 

Before resuming the vote count, some lawmakers called for an investigation into the policing that allowed for hundreds of protesters to break barricades and enter the Capitol, thought to be one of the most secure buildings in the country.

“Were not prepared for today. I certainly thought that we would have had a stronger show of force, that there would have been steps taken in the very beginning to make sure that there was a designated area for the protesters in a safe distance from the Capitol," said Rep. Val Demings of Florida.

At a time of great racial disparity in the US, many on social media drew comparisons between the ways in which anti-racism protesters were treated by police throughout 2020, and how rioters were treated whilst invading a US governmental building.

Nearly 15,000 people were arrested during the protests that arose after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

According to local media, 50 people were arrested at Capitol Hill after police began securing the building around 7:15, hours after rioters first entered. No rioters were shot.

Jordanian-Palestinian civil rights activist Linda Sarsour tweeted, 'In June 2018, I co-organized a woman-led civil disobedience protesting family separation. Capitol Police arrest over 600 women for staging a sit-in... No breaking windows. No violence.'

Former president Barack Obama called the incident 'shameful' but not 'suprising.'

Joe Biden will be inaugurated Wednesday, Jan. 20.