Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reached the amount of delegates needed to secure party’s presidential nomination.
He holds 1,239 delegates, surpassing the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the nomination. Although he cannot officially accept the party’s nomination until their national convention, this somewhat eases the suspicions of a heated, messy convention. At a news conference in Bismarck, North Dakota, Trump stated, “Here I am watching Hillary fight and she can’t close the deal.”
When Trump announced his presidential campaign last summer, it was met with ridicule and uncertainty. His platform and incendiary words shocked Republican party leaders and convinced the country that his campaign would fizzle. However, as his campaign continued along, it garnered support and it became clear that his platform appealed to many Americans.
“No one in American history has moved from a June 16 announcement to a May 26 winning of a majority. Trump’s achievement is remarkable,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday on Twitter.
While Trump has won the majority of the party’s delegates, some of his formal opponents, such as Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, and Governor John Kasich, still control the delegates they won during their time as potential nominates. This potentially allows them to have an influence over the direction of the GOP’s platform at the Republican Convention July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio.