Republican election deniers can’t wait to certify Trump’s victory
More than a dozen of the 147 Republicans in both the House and Senate who on Jan. 6, 2021, voted to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory are now voicing their excitement about certifying Donald Trump's narrow win, saying that not even a major snowstorm in Washington, D.C., could stop them from making it to the Capitol on Monday to make Trump’s success official.
Of course, there was no fraud in the 2020 election, which many Republicans objected to four years ago, despite Trump and his Republicans defenders’ claims. The only thing different four years later is that their candidate of choice won.
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Trump was preemptively crying fraud but miraculously stopped making those claims after he narrowly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris. That was an obvious sign that his claims were merely a way for him to excuse his 2020 defeat and try to remain in power.
The dozen Republicans who objected to Biden’s victory made no mention of fraud as they voiced their enthusiasm about certifying Trump’s 2024 win.
Bragging about braving the elements to make it to the Capitol—the very building that Trump supporters desecrated four years ago—was a common theme among the posts from Republican lawmakers who tried to steal the 2020 election.
"Rain, shine, sleet, or snow, Congress will certify President Trump’s victory today. It’s a new day in America, and We the People are back in charge," Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who was one of the ringleaders of the plan to keep Biden out of the White House in 2021, wrote on X on Monday morning.
"Lots of snow in DC today, but that won’t stop me from getting to the Capitol to certify President Trump’s historic win! Two weeks until we Make America Great Again!" Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who also helped plan the effort to steal Biden's victory, wrote on X.
"It may be snowing and subfreezing in DC, but that will not stop me from certifying President-elect Trump as America’s 47th president!" Rep. Morgan Griffith of Virginia wrote on X, along with a video of him at the Capitol in the snow.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, one of eight GOP Senators who voted to steal Biden's win, posted a photo of himself in the snow outside the Capitol, with the caption, "Here to do Louisiana’s work at the Capitol today. Too bad we don’t have Louisiana’s sunnier weather."
Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, infamous for wearing a pin of an AR-style rifle on his suit around the Capitol, wrote on X, “In just a few hours, Congress will certify President Donald J. Trump’s historic victory. No amount of snow will stop this incredible day for America!”
“A snowstorm in DC may stop bureaucrats from coming in, but it won't stop us from doing the will of the American people and certifying President-Elect Trump's historic election mandate today,” Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas, who tried to block Biden’s win in 2021, said Monday morning in an appearance on Fox Business.
Other members used over-the-top rhetoric to express excitement about the day’s certification vote.
“America has once again chosen a republic, not an empire. Today, Congress will affirm it. Together, we begin the long counter-march to restore a government small enough to fit within the Constitution,” Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio wrote on X without a hint of irony as he was one of the members in 2021 who voted to toss out Americans’ votes.
"It’s a great day to certify [Trump’s] landslide victory. Still not tired of winning," Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, who fell down the stairs in the Capitol on Friday, wrote in a post on X.
In 2021, however, Foxx touted her vote against certifying Biden’s Electoral College win, writing in a statement, “I take my oath to protect and defend the Constitution very seriously and sitting idly by while it’s trampled over is simply unacceptable.”
Among the other Republicans who voted to keep Trump in power in 2021 but are now gung ho about certifying Trump’s 2024 win include Republican Reps. Richard Hudson, Tom Tiffany, Lisa McClain, Randy Weber, Troy Nehls, Diana Harshbarger, David Kustoff, and August Pfluger.
Democrats, meanwhile, posted a reminder of the violence and destruction Trump and his allies wrought on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Four years ago today, I was trapped in the House Chamber as insurrectionists stormed the Capitol & tried to overturn election results,” Rep. Darren Soto of Florida wrote on X, along with a photo of himself hiding in the House chamber as insurrectionists tried to break in. “Today, I will return to the House Chamber to certify the 2024 results. House Democrats honor the Constitution & accept the will of the people.”
Other Democratic lawmakers said that if Harris had come out on top in November, Monday’s certification would not be the peaceful affair it’s expected to be.
“Good morning. Don't take for granted how quiet the Capitol will be today,” Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy wrote on X. “It's because today in America, tragically, only one party respects elections. The other party uses and justifies violence to keep power. Had Harris won, today likely would have been another bloodbath.”