Washington, United States:

It is not a job that she would have had on her bucket list, but a gracious Kamala Harris put on a brave face — and even a broad grin — on Monday as she presided over the certification of her defeat to Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.

The US Constitution requires that vice presidents — in their secondary role as president of the Senate — run the show when Congress holds its joint session to formally tally electoral college votes and name the new president.

The task can be more painful and unpleasant, though, for those statesmen and women such as Harris who end up having to officiate at the confirmation of their own electoral failure.

But Harris’s magnanimity could not have been in sharper contrast to Trump’s reaction to his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020.

She beamed as she received a standing ovation on reading out her vote total, before declaring that the official count “shall be deemed a sufficient declaration” for Trump to take his oath of office on January 20.

Harris had accepted defeat in November in a timely manner, unlike Trump in 2020, when he pressured government officials and members of Congress to reverse his defeat — earning himself impeachment and federal indictment.

His claims spurred his supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a violent bid to stop lawmakers from certifying his loss two months earlier to Joe Biden.

Harris, a former prosecutor, did not indulge in the baseless claims of voter fraud that Trump repeats to this day and launched no legal claims echoing the dozens of frivolous lawsuits that Trump’s allies filed in 2020.

During the ceremony itself she exchanged polite small talk with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and, afterwards, hosted a press conference to argue for the peaceful transfer of power as a fundamental principle of US democracy.

“I do believe very strongly that America’s democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for — every single person, their willingness to fight for — and respect the importance of our democracy,” Harris told reporters.

“Otherwise, it is very fragile, and it will not be able to withstand moments of crisis. And today, America’s democracy stood.”

Harris lost all the swing states to Trump but was beaten in the popular vote by less than 1.5 percent, making it one of the closest elections in US history.

She has not revealed what she plans next, but has been pressed by allies to run again in 2028 or seek the governorship of her home state, California.

Harris is not the first vice president to have to preside over the certification of her own election defeat.

Richard Nixon in 1960 and Al Gore in 2000 faced the same difficult task after close, contentious elections and approached their duty with the same grace as Harris, generating standing ovations from members of both parties.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

After Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, several celebrities who had supported Kamala Harris slammed the Republican leader. Among them was Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, who was seen campaigning for Ms Harris last week. Taking to Instagram, she posted a video of herself watching the election results, exclaiming, “I hate y’all bad”. In an Instagram Live, she also vented her frustration with Trump supporters, saying, “I swear to God, I’m gonna f*** you up, get away from me.” 

In the video, the 32-year-old read aloud a comment from a fan that said, “Cardi we need you at the Trump inauguration.” To this, the rapper responded, “I swear to god I’m gonna f-k you up, get away from me. I’m sick of you! Burn you’re f***ing hats motherf***er. I’m really sad. I swear to god I’m really sad,” per the New York Post. 

Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Cephus, added that she’s “proud” of Vice President Kamala Harris. “No matter what, I know that she’s probably emotional right now. I know there’s probably a lot going on in her mind and I know she’s not listening to this, but she will eventually see it,” she said.

“I just hope she knows no matter what happens tonight, millions of people are proud of her. Women around the world are proud of her. Women of colour are proud of her,” the rapper continued. 

“When I look at her face and she was talking to me, I thought she was very genuine and not playing any f***ing games,” Cardi B went on. “She had 100 days to do all of this and she woke this nation up. I feel there was a lot of things that went wrong last year and they kept her too much in the background. I’m proud of her and I hope she’s proud of herself no matter what happens tonight. This is one of the most unforgettable elections and I love her. I don’t say I love a lot of people, y’all know that. Because I hate everybody,” she added. 

Separately, the rapper also posted a long statement on Instagram. “To Vice President Kamala Harris, no matter what they’ve said to bring you down or belittle your run for presidency they can never say you didn’t run your race with honesty and integrity!” she said. 

Several other Hollywood celebrities, including Alex Baldwin, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christina Applegate, also expressed their frustration on social media over the 2024 presidential election results.

Also Read | “Only When It Is Dark…”: Kamala Harris’ Message As She Concedes To Trump

Taking to Instagram, Jamie Lee Curtis wrote, “Many, minority groups and young people will be afraid. Gay and trans people will be more afraid. We know that many women will now find it difficult to get the reproductive healthcare that they need and deserve. For all those people there will be those who will help you. Me included,” she wrote. 

Similarly, Christina Applegate also expressed her anger at the result. “Why? Give me your reasons why????? My child is sobbing because her rights as a woman may be taken away. Why?And if you disagree , please unfollow me,” she wrote one X. 

Author Stephen King also weighed in on the result, writing on X, “There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy.”

Notably, Donald Trump became the 47th President of the United States as he won the electoral college in Wisconsin state and secured the required majority of 270 over Democrat rival Kamala Harris. At 78, he will be the oldest President during his inauguration scheduled on January 20.