TAMPA, Fla — Good morning Tampa Bay. It's Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021.
Congress confirms Joe Biden wins the presidency
Congress has formally validated Joe Biden’s presidential election victory on a day that saw a time-honored ceremony become a nightmare of unprecedented political terror.
The House and Senate certified the Democrat’s electoral college win early Thursday morning after a violent throng of pro-Trump rioters spent hours Wednesday running rampant through the Capitol.
Biden defeated Trump by 306-232 electoral votes and will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
The president responds
President Donald Trump now says there “will be an orderly transition on January 20th” after Congress concluded the electoral vote count certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and after a day of violence when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Trump says in a statement tweeted by his social media director Dan Scavino, “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless, there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”
He adds: “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again.”
Can the Vice President invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump?
First, let's start by going over what the 25th Amendment is.
"The 25th Amendment, proposed by Congress and ratified by the states in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, provides the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation," Cornell Law School explains.
Next, can Vice President Mike Pence use the 25th Amendment to remove the president from power?
Yes, but he needs approval from half the president’s cabinet to do so. Then, in the situation where the president challenges the removal, he needs both chambers of Congress to approve it.