On Monday, January 6, Vice President Kamala Harris certified the election of President-elect Donald Trump in a Congressional ceremony, thus also certifying her own presidential election defeat and becoming the first VP since Richard Nixon to do so. As she did so, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson smirked.
On the morning of the certification process, shortly before it happened, Vice President Harris had released a short video statement in which she commented on what she would do and why, saying that ushering along the “peaceful transfer of power” between presidential administrations is a “sacred obligation.”
Beginning the video statements, she commented on “American democracy,” ignoring that America is theoretically a republic, not a democracy. She said, “The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy. As much as any other principle, it is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny.”
Continuing, she made the “sacred obligation” remark, saying, “Today at the United States Capitol, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation, one I will uphold, guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people.”
Concluding, she returned to comment on “democracy,” saying, “As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile, and it is up to, then, each one of us to stand up for our most cherished principles. And to make sure that in America, our government always remains of the people, by the people, and for the people. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.”
In any case, shortly after that video was released, Harris had to certify her own electoral defeat. As NBC News reported: “Hands clasped before her, Harris looked ahead plainly and intently as four senators took turns reading off the electoral totals from each state.” As she did so, the Senate rolled through its votes to certify Trump as the winner of the election.
NBC News also reported that Harris flashed a smile when the Senate’s votes reached the threshold for declaring President-elect Trump to be the next President of the United States. But the real smiler was Speaker Mike Johnson. who, when Harris certified her loss and Trump’s victory, smirked. Watch the moment here:
A senior Harris aide said, NBC News reports, commenting on her mindset, “The vice president understands that our democracy requires elected leaders who have taken the sacred oath of office and everyday citizens alike to actively preserve it. It is with this deep sense of responsibility and duty in mind that the vice president will certify the presidential election on Jan. 6 and reaffirm the will of the American people.”
Another former Harris aide, however, added that she was bitterly disappointed by the election result and having to certify her defeat rather than her victory. That aide said, NBC News reports, “There’s definitely sadness and frustration. ” That aide added, “She believed she should have won the race, but the country didn’t want to go in that direction.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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