Trump's journey from political punchline to 'presumptive GOP nominee'
Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee.
Those words -- tweeted by Republican Party leader Reince Priebus moments after Ted Cruz announced his decision to leave the presidential race -- bring the party to a place that many never believed it would be in.
Tuesday night's victory for Trump in the Indiana primary was a turning point in the final push for the Republican nomination -- though he is still about 200 delegates short of the 1,237 he would need to enter the convention uncontested.
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But the fate of the billionaire-turned-reality-star-turned-politician was not always clear, and a look back at his very first step into the 2016 campaign paints an interesting picture of just how far he's come from a political punchline to a major party candidate.
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Back on June 16, 2015, Trump staged his elaborate campaign announcement at the gold trimmed Trump Towers in Manhattan.
Hundreds of New York-based journalists scrambled to get a glimpse of what most expected to be a short-lived spectacle, as Trump and his wife Melania made their way down a golden escalator and into a cramped foyer.
A loose crowd hollered at him from the level above, wearing cheaply made white t-shirts. They were passed out by the campaign to employees who worked in the building and people who were pulled off the street in order to bulk up the small crowd of supporters.
Handmade signs were passed out to those who walked in the door, and they tossed them into a bin at the exit. No one in the establishment thought this was going to last.
"Our country needs a truly great leader," he told the crowd, joining a crowded field of 11 other Republican contenders. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for President of the United States."
And just like that, the Trump Train rolled out of the station.
The Republican establishment immediately distanced itself from the outspoken and polarizing character, throwing their weight instead behind the likes of Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and even Ted Cruz. One by one, his rivals dropped out of the race, leaving Trump the last man standing.
Eleven months later, Trump has campaigned around the country, filling convention centers and theaters with thousands of people who line up for hours for a glimpse of the candidate. They chant along with him and raise their right hand in support. He has created a movement that has propelled him to a level that many believed impossible.
His campaign has also drawn in a dedicated crew of protesters, ready and willing to risk arrest or assault to speak out against his divisive policy proposals.
But regardless of the side of the fence the crowds fall on, the Trump train is moving full steam ahead to the national election.
Tuesday's results in Indiana marked a major shift in Trump's campaign, one that inevitably will leave him facing a Democratic rival on the national stage.
His victory speech on Tuesday night took on a noticeably more low key tone, as Trump extended an olive branch to his one time competitor Cruz.
"Ted Cruz — I don't know if he likes me or he doesn't like me — but he is one hell of a competitor," Trump said of his last opponent, whom he had dubbed "Lyin' Ted." Trump, in a victory speech that was much lower-key than usual, promised victory in November, vowing anew to put "America first."
One thing is clear -- Trump needs to united a divided Republican party if he has any hope of winning the White House.
Speaking on NBC's Today Show on Wednesday morning, Trump said he is "confident" he can unite Republicans behind him.
And for those who are unwilling to line up behind the divisive candidate, Trump has a clear message: He doesn't need you.
"Those people can go away and maybe come back in eight years after we served two terms," said Trump. "Honestly, there are some people I really don't want."
Additional information from the Associated Press.
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Topics Donald Trump Elections
Megan Specia was Mashable's Assistant Real-Time News Editor and joined the team in September 2014. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of New Hampshire after growing up in the Jersey 'burbs. She made her way to New York via a four year stopover in Dublin. Megan previously worked as a journalist and editor at Storyful in both Dublin and New York. Before all of that, though, her claim to fame was as head cake arranger and purveyor of all things sweet at Queen of Tarts cafe in Dublin, where she developed a serious addiction to macarons.
