Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee following a decisive victory in the Indiana primary and Ted Cruz's decision to drop out of the race. Though Trump has not formally secured the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination and most probably likely won't until June reason being that there is no serious opposition left to block his path.
His victory amounts to a stunning takeover of the Republican Party by a candidate with no political experience. Along the way, he eviscerated the GOP's most accomplished presidential field in a generation and captured the Zeitgeist of a party in which grass roots voters harbor deep ill will toward establishment elites.
"It is a beautiful thing to watch, and a beautiful thing to behold," Trump said during a victory speech. "We are going to make America great again."
Cruz tried everything to pull off a last-ditch win in Indiana, including the unusual move of selecting Carly Fiorina as his running mate even though he wasn't the nominee.
"We left it all on the field in Indiana. We gave it everything we've got but the voters chose another path," Cruz said. "So with a heavy heart but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign."