Battered Cruz drops out, clears way for Trump

/Courtesy of Twitter

By Lee Han-soo

Donald Trump is closer to securing the delegates he needs to be Republican presidential candidate after Ted Cruz dropped out following a bitter defeat in the Indiana primary.

Trump had a landslide victory and now has 1,041 of the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the party’s nomination.

While he faces a backlash from unbound Republican delegates - mainly party elites - it is becoming more likely Trump will be able to win the Grand Old Party (GOP) convention in Cleveland in July.

After Cruz withdrew, Trump said: “I want to congratulate Ted Cruz. He is a tough, smart competitor.”

Trump is now looking ahead to November’s presidential election.

“We’re gonna win,” he said. “We’re gonna win in November. And we’re gonna win big.”