The business at the Capitol on Monday felt, well, business-like.

The state of the vote for the president of the United States, as delivered to the president of the Senate, is as follows.

In a little over half an hour, a joint session of Congress counted electoral votes and certified Donald Trump's victory.

Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes.

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the session. Kamala D. Harris of the state of California has

received 226 votes. It was ordinary, which is striking given what happened the last time Congress certified a presidential election.

On January 6, 2021, a violent mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the count.

Here's how Donald Trump, who was on his way out of office, described it in a speech the next day.

I would like to begin by addressing the heinous

attack on the United States Capitol. Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness,

and mayhem. He did not acknowledge the role he played leading up to that mayhem. In the weeks

after the 2020 election, Trump falsely claimed that he actually won,

not Joe Biden. On January 6th, he urged his supporters to march toward the Capitol, where Congress

was certifying the results. These days, Trump and his allies don't describe January 6th as a heinous

attack. They don't mention violence, lawlessness, and mayhem. Instead,

this is how Trump talked about it in a Univision Town Hall during the 2024 campaign.

That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. It's like hundreds of thousands.

It could have been the largest group I've ever spoken before. They asked me to speak.

I went and I spoke.

And I used the term peacefully and patriotically.

Trump now falsely claims the rioters were ushered in by the police.

My fellow officers and I would punch, kick, shove, spray with chemical irritants by a violent mob.

...