Real estate mogul Donald Trump has now officially been crowned as the Republican presidential candidate for 2016, as delegate counts show he has passed the 1,237 threshold needed to secure the nomination.

Trump has 1,238 delegates backing him according to counts by Associated Press and CNN on Thursday, after unbounded delegates announced their support for him.

With his last major rival Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) dropping out of the race Trump was left almost assured of victory, but the new count makes it official and removes the possibility of a turnabout in a contested Republican convention in July, as many leading Republican leaders have been loathe to throw their support behind Trump.

His delegate count is likely to soar even higher in the final primaries on June 7, which will include California and New Jersey – both of which feature numerous delegates.

Former House Speaker New Gingrich, who is said to be a possible candidate for Trump’s vice president, commented on the rapid success of Trump’s anti-establishment campaign that was only launched last summer.

“No one in American history has moved from a June 16 announcement to a May 26 winning of a majority. Trump’s achievement is remarkable,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

Trump won out in a Republican primary race against 16 other contenders, with insults and personal attacks becoming common fare in the fierce competition.

He now is likely to face Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in general elections in November, before which he will need to broaden his support so as to overcome historically high unfavorability ratings.