Donald Trump Clinches the Republican Nomination

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination for president according to a count by the Associated Press.
Donald Trump Clinches the Republican Nomination
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks following victory in the New York state primary on April 19, 2016 in New York City. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
5/26/2016
Updated:
5/26/2016

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has reached the number of delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination for president according to a count by the Associated Press.

Trump, the only remaining GOP candidate left in the race, will go on to accept the nomination at the party’s national convention in Cleveland.

The nomination was secured after Trump won 40 of the 44 possible delegates in Washington state after winning the primary on May 24.

The new delegate count puts him at 1,238 delegates, 1 delegate over the required 1,237 to reach a majority. 

Earlier in the campaign, Trump battled 16 Republican candidates, and became the presumptive nominee after winning the state of Indiana against Ted Cruz, his closest rival. 

Cruz made the surprise decision to drop out of the race after the Indiana primary, after weeks of promising to take the fight to a contested convention in Cleveland this summer. 

Soon after, Ohio Governor John Kasich followed Cruz’s lead, dropping out and leaving Trump as the last man standing.