Donald Trump secured victories in a series of Republican presidential contests on Saturday, further solidifying his path to becoming the party’s candidate in the upcoming November election. The former president comprehensively won the Missouri, Michigan, and Idaho caucuses, maintaining his unblemished record in states thus far.
Addressing supporters at a rally in Virginia, the 77-year-old Trump declared that he was “on a rocket to the Republican nomination.” With a commanding lead, he is poised to clinch the nomination next week. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, his sole remaining rival, is yet to achieve her first victory and faces an uncertain route to the nomination amid Trump’s dominance in the race.
Donald Trump is anticipated to secure all available delegates in Missouri and Idaho, along with those remaining in Michigan, marking a significant stride toward the Republican nomination. As reported by CBS News, a trusted partner of the BBC, Trump has already amassed 247 Republican delegates, a substantial lead over Nikki Haley’s 24. Delegates play a crucial role in determining the presidential nominee at the party’s national convention, representing their state or district.
Speaking to thousands of supporters in Richmond, Virginia, Trump expressed confidence in winning big on Tuesday when 15 states will select their presidential candidate. The enthusiastic crowd, enduring long queues, heard Trump’s pledge to achieve remarkable success. However, his speeches in Virginia and Greensboro, North Carolina, predominantly centered on the topic of migration at the US-Mexico border—a message that resonates strongly with his base, as indicated by polls and reiterated by his supporters in numerous BBC interviews on Saturday.
Sharon Roberts, who lost her son Sean to a fentanyl overdose in 2018, expressed her concern that an “out of control” border could result in more families facing similar tragedies. She declared her full support for Trump, believing that he would effectively close the borders.
Trump, in turn, directly targeted Biden, holding him responsible for the border crisis, following their separate visits there last week. Trump escalated his criticism by promoting a conspiracy theory that the current president intentionally encourages migrants to cross from Mexico.
“Biden and his allies aim to undermine the American system, negate the will of the actual American voters, and establish a new power base that secures control for generations,” stated Mr Trump. He asserted that the migrants and the Biden administration are working to enroll them for voting in the upcoming elections.
The Biden campaign swiftly responded, with spokesman Ammar Moussa saying, “Once again, Trump is projecting in an attempt to distract the American people from the fact he killed the fairest and toughest border security bill in decades because he believed it would help his campaign.” Moussa referred to a failed bipartisan immigration bill that Mr Trump openly opposed.
A New York Times and Siena poll revealed on Saturday indicated that 48% of American voters would support Mr Trump in a hypothetical match-up with Mr Biden, compared to 43% for the current president. Dissatisfaction with Mr Biden was observed in both parties.
During the Richmond rally, Mr Trump highlighted the poll results and urged his supporters to “send a signal” on Super Tuesday. However, the poll also showed that 45% of voters would support Ms Haley in a contest with Mr Biden, with 35% supporting the current president. Ms Haley commented shortly after the poll’s publication, stating, “I defeat Joe Biden by double digits in a general election match-up, while Trump is barely outside the margin of error.”
