US election: Donald Trump wins enough delegates to clinch Republican nomination

Donald Trump has secured the support of enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination, after unbound delegates pledged to back the billionaire.

Overnight some wavering delegates finally committed to Mr Trump and the US news agency Associated Press reports that it was enough for Mr Trump to secure his party's nomination. 


"The folks behind me got us right over the top from North Dakota," Mr Trump said at a press conference in Bismarck after the media announcement, standing onstage with some 15 unbound delegates from the state who committed their support to the real estate tycoon.

Key points:

• Trump passes delegate threshold to secure Republican nomination
• The party will not make results official until the July convention
• House Speaker Paul Ryan still refuses to endorse Trump

Mr Trump now has the backing of 1,238 delegates, one more than the 1,237 needed, according to the Associated Press, which first reported Mr Trump crossing the threshold.

The Associated Press said the real estate tycoon's delegate count rose when a small number of unbound Republican delegates, including Oklahoma party chairwoman Pam Pollard, said they would support him at the convention.

The Republican Party will not make the results official until its national convention in July, when delegates actually cast their votes for the nominee.

The party does not provide an official delegate count throughout the primary race, leading several US news organisations to compile their own estimates.

There are slight discrepancies between different counts because in some states delegates are free to vote for the candidate of their choice, unbound by the primary results.

ABC America reported that Mr Trump has now secured 1,239 delegates, based on its own analysis, while CNN lifted its Trump delegate estimate to 1,237 on Thursday, citing unbound delegates who said they would back the billionaire. 

Culled