Ahead of today's certification of the 2024 election results, Vice President Kamala Harris affirmed her commitment to the peaceful transfer of power—though her video sure sounded like she was throwing some major shade at President-elect Donald Trump.
In her video, she says that "our democracy can be fragile," a remark that appears to refer to the January 6 insurrection—the day a mob of Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on the false premise the 2020 election was stolen—on the fourth anniversary of the attack.
She shared her video to X and included the following caption:
"Today, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President 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 unwavering faith in the American people."
In the video itself, she says:
"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."
"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."
"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."
You can see her video below.
And many saw what she was putting down, noting that unlike the president-elect, Harris is actually committed to upholding democratic principles.
This time, the certification took place without incident, although security at the Capitol had been significantly heightened.
Unlike Trump in 2020, Harris did not dispute her loss in November, and unlike the Republicans following the 2020 election, Democrats in Congress raised no objections during the counting of the Electoral College votes.
One by one, lawmakers from both parties stood to declare the votes “regular in form and authentic,” with no challenges raised. The only hint of partisanship came in the form of applause: Republicans cheered after the counting of states won by Trump and gave a standing ovation when he secured a majority, while Democrats clapped for Harris’s states and rose to applaud when her total electoral votes were announced.
Amid all this, there were reminders of the attack given that the Capitol was heavily secured, surrounded by tall black metal fencing, and reinforced by federal, state, and local security forces. For the first time, the day was classified as a “national special security event” by the Department of Homeland Security.
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