After a Chaotic Day, Congress Finally Confirms That Joe Biden Won the Presidential Election

The usually routine congressional process of certifying the final results of a presidential election was disrupted Wednesday by a riot that drove lawmakers off the floor to seek shelter as hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters ransacked the U.S. Capitol.

But that only delayed the inevitable conclusion. Joe Biden has been confirmed as the president-elect of the United States.

Even before the protest-turned-riot that interrupted the proceedings for more than six hours, an attempt to block certification of the results was more about appeasing Trump’s bruised ego than anything else. Only a handful of Republicans—led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.)—supported the effort.

Trump collected the first 12 electoral votes—nine from Alabama, three from Alaska—before the first objection, to Arizona’s results, disrupted the process. After lawmakers adjourned to their respective chambers to debate the objection in the afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R–Ky.) encouraged his members to drop their doomed bid to overturn the election.

“We cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids. The voters, the states, and the courts have all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our republic forever,” McConnell said. “I will not pretend that such a vote would be a harmless protest measure while relying on other people to do the right thing.”

Then a far greater disruption occurred. Vice President Mike Pence was hustled out of the Senate by security, and both chambers abruptly entered recess as rioters crashed through windows and doors around