Trump reaches the magic number to clinch nomination

That speech set the tone for the candidate's ability to dominate the headlines with provocative statements, insults and hyperbole. He called Mexicans "rapists," promised to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and ban Muslims f-rom the U.S. for an indeterminate time.

He put down women based on their looks. And he unleashed an uncanny marketing ability in which he deduced his critics' weak points and distilled those to nicknames that stuck. "Little Marco" Rubio, "Weak" Jeb Bush and "Lyin' Ted" Cruz, among others, all were forced into primarily reacting to Trump. They fell one-by-one — leaving Trump sole survivor of a riotous Republican primary.

His rallies became must-see events and magnets for free publicity. Onstage, he dispensed populism that drew thousands of supporters, many wearing his trademark "Make America Great Again" hat and chanting, "Build the wall!"

The events drew protests too— with demonstrators sometimes being forcibly ejected f-rom the proceedings. One rally in Chicago was cancelled after thousands of demonstrators surrounded the venue and the Secret Service could no longer vouch for the candidate's safety.

When voting started, Trump was not so fast out of the gate.

He lost the Iowa caucuses in February, falling behind Cruz and barely edging Rubio for second. He recovered in New Hampshire. F-rom there he and Cruz fiercely engaged, with Trump winning some and losing some but one way or another dominating the rest of the primary season — in votes or at least in attention — and ultimately in delegates.

All the while, Republican leaders declared themselves appalled by Trump's rise. Conservatives called the onetime Democrat a fraud. But they failed, ultimately, to block him. Republican leaders slowly, warily, began meeting with Trump and his staff. And he began winning endorsements f-rom a few members of Congress.

As with other aspects of his campaign, Trump upended the traditional role of money in the race.

He incurred relatively low campaign costs — just $57 million through the end of April. He covered most of it with at least $43 million of his own money loaned to the campaign. He spent less than $21 million on paid television and radio commercials. That's about one-quarter of what Jeb Bush and his allies spent on TV. Bush d-ropped out of the race three months ago, after disappointing results in South Carolina.

Trump, 69, the son of a New York City real estate magnate, had risen to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, overseeing major real estate deals, watching his financial fortunes rise, then fall, hosting "The Apprentice" TV show and authoring more than a dozen books.

___

Associated Press writers James Nord in Sioux Falls, S.D., Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pa., and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.