Trump seals political comeback as Congress certifies his election victory

Donald Trump capped a historic political comeback on Monday as Congress certified his election victory, in a remarkable turn from four years ago, when a mob he had summoned to Washington ransacked the US Capitol.

The president-elect spent much of his campaign facing prosecution over the 2021 insurrection, when his supporters -- fueled by his false claims of voter fraud -- rioted to halt the certification of his defeat to Joe Biden.

But Trump, 78, was voted back into office in November and Monday's ceremony went much more smoothly, even with a major winter storm blanketing the capital and much of the country in snow.

"Donald J Trump of the state of Florida, has received 312 votes. Kamala D Harris of the state of California has received 226 votes," Harris herself declared to assembled lawmakers after the counting was complete.

Harris -- who oversaw the certification as part of her vice-presidential duties -- said the official count "shall be deemed a sufficient declaration" for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance to take their oaths of office on January 20.

The ceremony marked the final blow to efforts to have the Republican leader face justice over the riot, the culmination of a multi-pronged alleged criminal conspiracy that prosecutors said Trump led -- before they dropped all charges upon his election.

Trump has vowed to pardon an unspecified number of the rioters -- around 900 of whom have admitted federal charges from trespassing and vandalism to assaulting police -- describing them as "hostages."

In a Washington Post op-ed, Biden slammed Trump's allies for downplaying the violence of 2021 and urged Americans to be "proud that our democracy withstood this assault."