President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump swept to victory in statewide nominating contests across the country on Tuesday, setting up a historic rematch in November’s general election despite low approval ratings for both candidates.
Trump won the Republican votes in a dozen states – including delegate-rich California and Texas – brushing aside former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, his lone remaining rival, who no longer has a viable path to the nomination. Her only win of the night thus far came in Vermont, Edison Research projected.
After a commanding performance across 15 states where more than one-third of Republican delegates were up for grabs on Super Tuesday, Trump had all but clinched his third consecutive presidential nomination, despite facing a litany of criminal charges.
Trump and Biden trained their focus on each other as the results became clear. In a victory speech delivered at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida, Trump focused on Biden’s immigration policies and called him the “worst president” in history.
“Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime,” he said, though crime data does not support that assertion.
In a statement, Biden again cast Trump as a threat to American democracy.
“Tonight’s results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?” Biden said.
“Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime,” he said, though crime data does not support that assertion.
In a statement, Biden again cast Trump as a threat to American democracy.
“Tonight’s results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?” Biden said.