Republican front runner Donald Trump has told his rivals: “It’s over”, after scoring landslide victories in five northeastern US state primaries.
The New York real estate baron called himself “the presumptive nominee”, after knockout blows in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island and Delaware.
In the Democratic race, front runner Hillary Clinton swept Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Her challenger Bernie Sanders walked away with a consolation win in Rhode Island.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump are already preparing for a possible showdown against one another in November’s White House election.
“Now, the other day Mr Trump accused me of playing the, quote, woman card,” the former Secretary of State, US senator and first lady told her supporters.
“Well if fighting for women’s healthcare, paid family leave and equal pay is playing the ‘woman card’, then deal me in!”
In another jab, she went on to envisage an America where “love trumps hate”.
“I call her crooked Hillary,” he said. “She’s crooked. She’d be a horrible president. She knows nothing about job creation.
“Her husband signed (free trade agreement) NAFTA, which destroyed this country economically.”
Mr Trump called on his Republican rivals, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, to drop out.
Mrs Clinton is almost within touching distance of the Democratic nomination, though Mr Sanders has vowed to fight on until California’s primary in June.
The would-be first US female president went into Tuesday’s contests with 82% of the delegates she needs to win the nomination.
Mr Trump is the only Republican who can reach the 1,237 delegates needed to be anointed as the party’s nominee.
He hopes to pounce if Mr Trump cannot accumulate the magic number on a first ballot at the Republican conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
There were 384 Democratic delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, and 172 for Republicans. – Sky News.
