Facts – What to Watch Before the US President’s Inauguration By Reuters

Written by Kostas Pitas

(Reuters) – US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20 after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential elections that took place in November.

Below is a schedule of events from now until opening day:

2025

January 6: Harris presides over the counting of the Electoral College votes in a joint session of Congress, announces the results and announces who has been elected.

Before the votes were counted on January 6, 2021, then-President Trump criticized his Vice President, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

On that day, Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the vote counting. Biden’s victory was certified early the next day.

Since then, Congress has passed reforms that require the approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state’s results — a much higher bar than existed before, when at least one member in both the House and Senate could work together to raise a challenge.

January 20: Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are sworn in during a swearing-in ceremony scheduled to begin at 12 noon ET (1700 GMT).