Donald Trump easily wins Nevada Republican caucuses

Donald Trump has won Nevada’s Republican presidential caucuses after the only major candidate, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, skipped the contest.

Ms Haley had cited what she considered an unfair process favouring Mr Trump and instead ran in Nevada’s symbolic state-run presidential primary on Tuesday, when she finished behind the “none of these candidates” option.

Mr Trump’s only challenger in the caucuses was Ryan Binkley, a Texas businessman and pastor, who trailed far behind with 2% of the early statewide vote.

The former president’s win in Nevada gives him all 26 of the state’s delegates. He needs to accrue 1,215 delegates to formally clinch the party’s nomination and could reach that number in March.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Trump won the US Virgin Islands caucuses, adding four to his delegate haul.

There he won 182 votes, or 74% of the 246 votes cast there, beating his last remaining rival in the Republican race, Nikki Haley, who won 26% support with 64 votes.

The Republican contest now moves to the South Carolina primary on 24 February.

Mr Trump remains popular in the deeply conservative state but Ms Haley, who won two elections as South Carolina’s governor, is hoping to benefit from a home-state advantage.