Trump picks up three more states in White House bid
DONALD Trump continued his march towards the Republican nomination after winning caucuses in three more states.
The former US president, 77, had a clean sweep of victories in Idaho, Michigan and Missouri on Saturday. In order to clinch the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July, he must win 1,215 of the country’s 2,429 delegates, who represent states and districts.
Mr Trump now has 244 delegates while his sole remaining opponent, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, is languishing on just 24. Ms Haley has repeatedly refused to step down despite a string of losses, including in her own state of South Carolina.
Her campaign team was confident of a better result in the Washington DC Republican primary last night, although the results are unlikely to shake her rival’s lead. The candidates face a critical day tomorrow, when 874 Republican delegates will be up for grabs.
On what is known as Super Tuesday, voters in 15 states and one US territory will head to the polls. Mr Trump currently faces four separate criminal charges, including felony counts for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and hoarding of classified documents after leaving office.
A separate case that will decide whether he is disqualified from holding office again is to be heard by the supreme court in April.
But the supreme court will also consider if he can be prosecuted in relation to the 2020 election charges, for which he claims presidential immunity. It means the prosecutions against him may not get under way until after voting begins in the election.
Ms Haley has been Trump’s sole contender for the nomination since Ron DeSantis dropped out.
Claims immunity from charges