It's hard to keep track of how many times Joe Biden's been confirmed as the next U.S. President, but there are still some formalities left to make it official ... and D.C. officials are concerned the next one could lead to more civil unrest.
Congress is set to convene January 6 to officially count the electoral votes and certify the winner of the election ... which ended with 306 votes for Biden and 232 for Trump.
TMZ's learned the nation's capital is preparing for the large scheduled protest by Trump supporters -- starting January 5 -- and ending on the 7th.
Obviously, officials are worried the protests could get out of hand and lead to violent clashes with counter-protesters ... so police are being asked to step up in advance.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2021
Trump has tweeted several times, promoting the main protest -- scheduled for January 6 -- and even teasing an appearance at the event.
Our law enforcement sources tell us ... D.C. cops will not be allowed to take days off from Jan. 5-7, and they're implementing a plan to have a heavy police presence in the area -- both uniformed and in street clothes.
On the political side ... Senator Ted Cruz is among 12 Republican Senators who have announced they'll challenge Biden's win on January 6.
Our sources say the D.C. officials are hopeful things won't get violent ... but they'll be prepared if they do. And, as we told you ... same goes for preparing for Inauguration Day.