WASHINGTON, USA: Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris to win the 2024 U.S. presidential election on November 5.
Here’s a timeline of key events leading up to his inauguration on January 20, 2025:
Nov 26, 2024: Trump, the first U.S. president—sitting or former—to be convicted of a crime, will be sentenced in a Manhattan case involving hush money payments made to silence an adult film star. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. The sentencing was originally set for September 18 but was delayed.
Dec 11, 2024: States must submit certified slates of presidential electors to the Archivist of the United States by this date, following a 2022 federal law aimed at preventing a repeat of the chaos after Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Dec 17, 2024: The Electoral College will meet to cast their votes for the president and vice president in each state and the District of Columbia.
Dec 25, 2024: By this date, the electoral votes must be received by the President of the Senate (Vice President Harris) and the Archivist.
Jan 6, 2025: Vice President Harris will preside over the joint session of Congress to count the electoral votes and officially announce the results.
On January 6, 2021, Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. That day, the U.S. Capitol was stormed by Trump supporters in an attempt to disrupt the count. Congress passed reforms after the incident, raising the threshold for challenging state results.
Jan 20, 2025: Trump, alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance, will take their oaths of office in a swearing-in ceremony beginning at 12 pm ET.
