Trump Vows 'Orderly Transition' After Biden Certified as Next President
President Donald Trump said that there would be an "orderly transition" of power after Congress affirmed Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
Trump released the statement shortly after Vice President Mike Pence announced Biden as the winner around 3:40 a.m. Thursday.
"Even though 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," the president said.
According to a New York Post report, Trump's statement was posted to Twitter by his communication advisor Dan Scavino as the social media firm locked his account for posting messages that allegedly appeared to incite riots in Washington, D.C.
The president added that "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!"
The Senate and House certified Biden's electoral college win, with the former vice president defeating Trump by 306-232 electoral votes. Biden will be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Congress Certifies Biden as President
Congress has rejected the challenges on Biden electoral votes. According to Bloomberg, Arizona's objections to Biden's votes were rejected resoundingly in both chambers of Congress.
The House concluded its debate around 8:30 p.m. Arizona time on Wednesday, followed by 50 minutes of voting leading to a 121-303 vote rejecting Biden's electoral votes, AZ Central reported.
On the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate also had an overwhelming vote against voiding Biden electoral votes in Arizona, reported the Wall Street Journal. Objections were dropped on a 93-6 vote on late Wednesday.
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This move from several Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate was expected, despite early predictions that their plans would ultimately fail.
Congress Rejects Move to Overturn Biden Electoral Votes in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania challenge to Biden electoral votes was also defeated in the Senate on a 92 against 7. USA Today reported that the motion was "quickly nixed" in the Senate "with no debate over the substance."
Pence immediately moved to the roll call where Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Tommy Tuberville, and Rick Scott agreed with the objection.
The House also joined the Senate in turning aside Republican objections to Pennsylvania's electoral vote for Biden. House lawmakers voted 282-138 against the objection early Thursday morning, as reported by Boston Globe.
Other Objections to Biden Electoral Votes Dropped After Riot
Proceedings on the vote certification were suspended after a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol. Other objections on the electoral votes were also registered in Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, but the shocking disruption led most GOP senators to drop the effort.
Objections on election results have to come from at least one member of the House and the Senate, noted Bloomberg.
Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia said: "Following the events of today it appears that some senators have withdrawn their objection."
One of these dropped objections was Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler's, who was set to leave the Senate after losing the state's runoff election on Tuesday.
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Loeffler said when she arrived at the Capitol that morning, she had full intentions of having her objections known. However, the "events that transpired have forced me to reconsider," she said.
"I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors," she added.
Usually, counting the electoral votes was just a formality when it came to U.S. elections. However, this year's polls became a contentious battle after Trump refused to concede his defeat in the November elections as he claimed that the election was "rigged" against him.
About an hour before the chaotic riot, he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure Pence and other Republican lawmakers to reject Biden's victory.
Pence, who was presiding over the session, refused Trump's calls to subvert the process. He called it a "dark day" in Washington as he put the Senate back into the session that night.