Donald Trump said this evening he has now secured the support of enough delegates to become the Republican presidential nominee, putting him over the threshold of 1,237 needed to win the party's nomination race.
"The folks behind me got us right over the top from North Dakota," Mr Trump said at a press conference in Bismarck, standing onstage with 15 unbound delegates from the state who committed their support to the real estate tycoon.
The Associated Press earlier reported that Mr Trump had reached the quota, citing its own delegate count.
Mr Trump had become the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month when his final two rivals dropped out of the race.
But securing the necessary delegates effectively ends his primary campaign, in which he outlasted 16 other Republicans seeking the nomination.
Republicans are expected to finalise their pick when delegates vote during the 18-21 July convention in Cleveland.
Mr Trump would face either former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who are vying for the Democratic nomination.
