Republican former President Donald Trump is set to face Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid. Here is a timeline of events related to the election between now and Inauguration Day in January 2025.
The final day in the Democratic Party's virtual vote to nominate its candidate
. Kamala Harris has already won enough delegate votes to clinch the nomination.
Harris will hold her first rally with her as-yet-to-be-announced vice presidential nominee in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- September: Biden and Trump agreed to debate on Sept. 10 on ABC News. After Biden dropped out, Harris committed to the debate but Trump said it should instead take place on Fox News on Sept. 4, meaning no debate is currently agreed to by both campaigns. - Sept. 18: Trump, the first sitting or former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, will be sentenced in the Manhattan hush money case where he was found guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star, should the judge decide to uphold the conviction.
- Later in November: It could take days for the election result to be known, especially if it is close and mail-in ballots are a factor.
- Jan. 6: The vice president presides over the Electoral College vote count at a joint session of Congress, announces the results and declares who has been elected.
Ahead of the count on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump lambasted his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's win. On that day, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by Trump supporters trying to stop the count. Biden's win was certified later that day.
Congress has since passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which requires 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 any single lawmaker from each chamber could trigger a challenge.
- Jan. 20: The inauguration of the election winner and their vice president takes place. At this ceremony, the victor and vice president are officially sworn into office.
