Wednesday 20 July 2016 9:15 am

US Presidential Election 2016: Donald Trump gets official Republican nomination

The long-time presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has now become the official nominee after state delegates tallied his votes.

As Tuesday night drew on, state delegates took it in turn to count up the votes that Trump had secured in his against-all-odds ascent toward the top of American politics.

Having crossed the threshold of 1,237 votes, Trump became the official nominee, with the GOP conference stage lit up with the message: "Over the top".

Trump's climb has been a thorny issue for the Republican party, with many respected within the party refusing to endorse him against presumptive Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton.

The most senior elected Republican official, house speaker Paul Ryan, has urged delegates to now unite around Trump.

The billionaire magnate is expected to accept the nomination on Thursday when he gives his speech at the conference.

It's not been in doubt for a while now, with other candidates having dropped out. However, it is now a reality – especially after a failed attempt by anti-Trump Republicans to pick another candidate.

A recent report from the Economist Intelligence Unit expects a Clinton presidency, with the Democrats winning a majority in the Senate.

However, either candidate will start from a position of weakness given their unfavourability with the public and a divided Congress, which will make it hard for either of them to implement their agenda.

(Source: EIU)

At the Cleveland convention yesterday governor Chris Christie, who dropped out of the race and supported Trump, gave a speech that presented a fictitious trial for Clinton:

The crowd chants "lock her up" about Hillary Clinton as Chris Christie speaks https://t.co/KjpeNgWOCn #RNCinCLE https://t.co/Kf4XK02ZTc

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 20, 2016