Congress Certifies Trump's 2024 Election Victory, 4 Years After Capitol Attack

The House and Senate met on Monday to certify the 2024 election results, which saw Donald Trump defeat Kamala Harris.

Trump returns to the White House after serving as President from 2016 to 2020. He is the second person to serve two non-consecutive terms as President. The certification process is normally a mundane step in the election process that historically has gone by without much coverage however the events of Jan. 6 2021 have elevated the step in the minds of many Americans.

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On that day, several protestors stormed the capitol in support of then-outgoing President Trump during the certification process of President Biden's victory. The capitol was placed on lockdown for several hours and five people died as a result. Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer while other people died due to medical episodes.

What To Know As Congress Counts Electoral Votes - Per CBS

• Congress is convened on Monday to count the votes of the Electoral College and formally cement President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.

• Four years ago, a mob stormed the Capitol to violently disrupt the process after Trump lost to President Biden in the 2020 election. More than 1,500 people have been charged with their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, and Trump has vowed to pardon many of them when he is sworn in for a second term.

• In 2022, Congress passed a law clarifying how states certify their electors and the vice president's role in counting electoral votes on Jan. 6. The change was aimed at preventing the strategy that Trump and his allies employed to challenge the results of the 2020 election.

• Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November, presided over Monday's joint session of Congress in her role as president of the Senate.

• Heavy security, including fences and barriers around the Capitol, is in place for the joint session and Trump's inauguration later this month.

• A massive winter storm has dumped snow across many parts of the country, including in Washington, D.C., where federal and local government offices are closed.