Trump clinches numbers to be Republican candidate
27 May 2016
Formalising his nomination as the Republican Party's presidential candidate, Donald Trump has reached the required numbers of delegates to clinch the GOP nomination.
He has reached the threshold of 1,237 delegates with the help of previously uncommitted delegates, who now support his candidacy.
Speaking at a news conference in Bismarck, North Dakota, the New York billionaire revelled in the fact that he had clinched his party's nomination before Democrat Hillary Clinton.
"Here I am watching Hillary fight and she can't close the deal," CNN quoted Trump as saying.
However, a handful of states, including California and New Jersey, will hold the final primaries on 7 June. The Republicans will finalise their nomination at a convention in July.
While Trump has the required amount of delegates, his nomination by a divided Republican Party is not yet secured. The unbound delegates in the party are free to support the candidate of their choice.
