They said Donald Trump could never do it. He just did

Trump’s two rivals quit as he confounds pundits, experts and the Republican party establishment to be presidential nominee.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by his wife Melania, right, and daughter Ivanka as he greets supporters as he arrives for a primary night news conference, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Show less

INDIANAPOLIS // Billionaire Donald Trump assumed the mantle of Republican presidential nominee yesterday with a mixed message on party unity and a clearer one for his next likely target, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The former reality television star, who has never held public office, won a commanding victory in Indiana’s primary on Tuesday, forcing his two remaining rivals to drop out of the race.

The one-time long-shot candidate repeatedly defied pundits’ predictions that his campaign would implode.

He prevailed despite making outrageous statements along the way that drew biting criticism but fed his anti-establishment appeal.

Mr Trump can now prepare for a head-to-head contest in the­­

November 8 presidential

election. Mrs Clinton is expected to be his Democratic opponent, although her march to the nomination was slowed by rival Bernie Sanders’s victory in Indiana.

Mr Trump’s immediate challenge is to unite deep fissures within the Republican Party, easing tensions with party loyalists who are appalled at his bullying style, his treatment of women and his proposals to build a wall on the border with Mexico and deport 11 million illegal immigrants.

“I am confident that I can unite much of it, some of it I don’t want,” Mr Trump said yesterday. “Honestly, there are some people I really don’t want. People will be voting for me. They’re not voting for the party.”

On Tuesday night Mr Trump called for unity in his victory speech that was free of his usual bombast. He also directed fire at

Mrs Clinton.

“We’re going after Hillary Clinton,” he said.

“She will not be a great president, she will not be a good president, she will be a poor president. She doesn’t understand trade.”

With his lead expanded, Mr Trump was also searching for a running mate.

He said his choice would probably be a Republican elected official with political experience.

“I’m considering a lot of people,” Mr Trump said.

Support for Mr Trump among national Republicans soared in recent weeks to the highest ­level of the primary campaign. A recent poll found Mr Trump enjoyed the support of 53 per cent of Republican participants, well above Texas senator Ted Cruz at 25 per cent and Ohio governor John Kasich with 16 per cent.

In a presidential head-to-head, however, Mrs Clinton led Mr Trump by about 10 percentage points among likely voters.

Mr Trump’s victory put to rest a belief that Republicans would choose their nominee at a contested convention in July. Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus said Mr Trump would be the party’s nominee and “we all need to unite and focus” on defeating Mrs Clinton.

Mr Kasich announced last night that he was suspending his campaign, after winning just one primary, in his home state of Ohio.

Earlier, as the Indiana primary results flowed in, Mr Cruz announced in Indianapolis that he had ended his campaign. With his wife, Heidi, at his side, Mr Cruz, 45, sounding beaten but defiant, said he no longer saw a viable path to the nomination.

“We gave it everything we got. But the voters chose another path, and so with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism for the long-term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign,” said Mr Cruz, a US senator from Texas.

His exit came as a surprise, and many Republicans who had denounced Mr Trump were grappling with what to do next.

Polls in April found Mr Cruz’s supporters split on who to support should their candidate quit.

Lanhee Chen, who had ­advised former Republican candidate Marco Rubio, floated the possibility of a third-party candidate.

“Tonight’s outcome raises seriousness & urgency of discussions about third-party alternative; how real it is depends on who steps up to run,” he tweeted on Tuesday night.

Some prominent Republicans said they would support Mr Trump. “It’s binary now. It’s Trump or Clinton, my vote’s for Trump,” said former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who dropped his own White House bid in November.

Others remained adamant in their opposition to Mr Trump. “Reporters keep asking if Indiana changes anything for me. The answer is simple: no,” said senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

* Reuters