Trump, the steps towards inauguration: the route to Inauguration Day

After Election Day there are other stages before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new US president, during which transition teams work on the handover. Here are the main moments.

On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, this year 17 December, electors in the electoral college vote for president and vice-president according to the outcome of the vote in their individual states, meeting in their respective capitals. Although members of the electoral college can vote for anyone according to the US constitution, 32 states plus the District of Columbia have laws against so-called faithless electors, i.e. those electors who do not cast their electoral votes for the person they promised to vote for. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2020 that the Constitution does not prevent states from penalising or replacing faithless voters. Sealed certificates of votes are sent to the Senate President and the State Archives and must be received before the fourth Wednesday in December. Then, on or before 3 January, the archivist transfers the certificate sets to Congress.

On 6 January, Congress meets in a joint session to count and certify electoral votes. The counting is done by the acting Vice President, acting in his capacity as President of the Senate. Members of Congress are free to object to any or all counts of electoral votes in a state, provided the objection is submitted in writing and signed by at least one member of each house of Congress. If such an objection is presented, both Houses shall adjourn to discuss and vote on the objection. The approval of both Houses of Congress is required to invalidate the electoral votes in question.

On 20 January, the president and vice-president were sworn in at the Capitol, in a solemn ceremony followed by tens of thousands of people thronging the National Mall.