Pence affirms he won't block certification of Biden's electoral vote as Trump simultaneously threatens him to do so


President Trump is once again demanding Vice President Mike Pence magically hand him the election.
As Congress convened to count electoral votes and affirm President-elect Joe Biden's win, thousands of Trump supporters gathered to hear the president and his allies raise arguments against the whole process. And after weeks of false claims about just how the election went down, Trump didn't change his tune.
He and his allies spent the rally claiming voter fraud actually handed Biden the win, despite officials on both sides of the aisle saying there was no evidence of election-altering fraud. And at the end, Trump once again called on Pence, who will oversee the joint session of Congress, to "stand up for the good of our Constitution" and block the vote. "And if you're not, I'm going to be very disappointed in you," Trump continued.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But almost simultaneously, Pence affirmed that he wouldn't listen to Trump's threats. He issued a statement just the vote certification process began saying he doesn't believe the Constitution gives him power to "determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not." Therefore, he'll stand by as the Republicans challenge some states' votes, but will not try to block the count as Trump falsely claimed he could do. Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
'No one should be surprised by this cynical strategy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
IDF blames 'error' for strike on Gaza water line
Speed Read Israeli forces attack Palestinians, including children, collecting water in central Gaza
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.