We’re going to wrap up our live coverage of the Indiana primaries shortly. Here’s what happened:
Donald Trump emerged as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee with a resounding victory in Indiana, as Ted Cruz suspended his presidential campaign.
Bernie Sanders scored an upset victory over Hillary Clinton, though the two split the delegate pile. Sanders vowed the nominating race was not over.
Cruz did not mention Trump as he mothballed his campaign but called for the Republican party to look to the far horizon (his 2020 bid?).
“I’m sorry to say, it appears that path [to victory] has been foreclosed,” Cruz said. “We gave it everything we’ve got.”
Trump praised Cruz as “one hell of a competitor” and “a tough, smart guy.” It was a change in tone from the morning, when he had suggested Cruz’s father had had a hand in the JFK assassination and Cruz had brought up Trump’s “battles with venereal disease”.
Republican party chair Reince Priebus called Trump the “presumptive nominee.” Trump said: “We want to bring unity to the Republican party.”
Many Republicans resisted that call, vowing on social media to support Clinton or, in any case, not to support Trump.
Clinton invited supporters to “chip in now if you agree we can’t let [Trump] become president”.
John Kasich’s campaign said he was staying in: “Tonight’s results are not going to alter Governor Kasich’s campaign plans.”
Cruz did not depart the national stage gracefully, exactly, elbowing his wife in the face on the way:
Ted Cruz ends campaign by accidentally hitting, elbowing his wife in the face pic.twitter.com/epO1tzKgTT
The Indiana breakdown of pledged delegates could see Sanders gain seven. The state also will contribute nine unpledged delegates to the convention who could... reverse that:
Based on @AP's district calculations, Democrats' *provisional* Indiana count looks to be: Sanders 45-Clinton 38. (Still some uncertainty.)
Podesta: 'Donald Trump is simply too big of a risk'
John Podesta, chairman of the Hillary Clinton campaign, has released a statement saying that Trump is not prepared to be president and is “too big of a risk”. Here’s the statement:
Fundamentally, our next president will need to do two things: keep our nation safe in a dangerous world and help working families get ahead here at home. Donald Trump is not prepared to do either. Throughout this campaign, Donald Trump has demonstrated that he’s too divisive and lacks the temperament to lead our nation and the free world. With so much at stake, Donald Trump is simply too big of a risk. Hillary Clinton has proven that she has the strength to keep us safe in an uncertain world and a lifelong record of fighting to break down the barriers--economic and social--that hold working families back. While Donald Trump seeks to bully and divide Americans, Hillary Clinton will unite us to create an economy that works for everyone.
The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington reports from Trump Tower on Trump’s makenice speech:
Flanked by his wife Melania and children, with his controversial campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and convention manager Paul Manafort close by, Trump made an inclusive speech in which he tried to heal some of the open wounds of the past year and begin the long and very difficult process of unifying the party. He even said some kind words about his nemesis Cruz at the end of a day in which further ugly words had passed between the candidates.
“I don’t know if he likes me or doesn’t like me,” he said of the senator for Texas. “But he is one hell of a competitor. He has an amazing future.”
Trump also made soothing noises towards the Republican National Committee and its chairman Reince Preibus. “It’s not an easy job dealing with 17 egos,” referring to the initial crowded pack of Republican presidential hopefuls, before adding: “I guess he’s now down to one ego.”
The usually brash New York billionaire struck an unusually subdued tone in his speech. While the speech was somewhat “low energy”, it wasn’t lacking in attacks. These are now firmly centered on Hillary Clinton.
In a preview of Trump’s general election strategy, and recognizing that any successful path for him relies on rust belt states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump focused heavily on trade and jobs.
Echoing his foreign policy speech that he delivered last week, Trump said his campaign was going to be about “America First” - a slogan that may be his general election equivalent of “Make America Great Again.”
When it came to his former rival Ted Cruz, Trump was conciliatory, saying, “he is one hell of a competitor, he is a tough, smart guy.”As Trump was making his pitch for party unity, many high profile conservative activists on Twitter were continuing to say that they will never support a Trump candidacy.
While it remains to be seen whether Trump can first unite the base and then reach out to win over independents and disaffected Democrats, one thing is certain: this election is going to be unlike anything we have ever seen before.
Trump: “Sarah Palin has been from Day One, incredible.
“Jerry Falwell Jr, from Liberty University... he’s a special guy.
“Tonight I see I won with the evangelical voters.”
More riffing: “We’re going to be saying Merry Christmas again.”
And this is true of the Indiana returns:
“I won with women. I love winning with women.”
Then further good words for Cruz, who hours ago called Trump a “pathological liar” and “serial philanderer” after Trump tied Cruz’s father to the JFK assassination:
I want to congratulate Ted Cruz. He is a tough, smart competitor.
Trump describes a vision of a country where people “cherish each other”:
We’re going to love each other, we’re going to cherish each other, we’re going to take care of each other, and we’re going to have great economic development.
Trump says he just spoke with Reince Priebus, the Republican party boss, who’s doing a great job.
“I guess he’s down to one” from 17 candidates, Trump says. Kasich must be stewing at that line.
“We want to bring unity to the Republican party. We have to bring unity. ... Many many people are calling, like you wouldn’t believe.”
Bernie Sanders has defeated Hillary Clinton in Indiana, the AP projects. Awkward. But that’s not new to this race. It appears they’ll split the 83 pledged delegates closely.
“The American people understand that coming together always trumps dividing us up,” Sanders said earlier tonight.
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