In a speech before the last races were called, he immediately pivoted to the general election on November 5, citing immigration and inflation as two key issues for voters, and declaring the election would be “the single most important day in the history of our country”.

Biden, however, put out a statement accusing the four-times-indicted Republican of being driven by “grievance and grift”, “focused on his own revenge and retribution” and “determined to destroy our democracy”.

“Tonight’s results leave the American people with a clear choice: are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?” Biden asked.

Haley, meanwhile, came into Super Tuesday saying she hoped to stay in the race “as long as we are competitive” to give anti-Trump voters a choice.

But now, the 52-year-old who had pitched herself as a “new generational” leader capable of ending Trump’s chaos, may struggle to maintain the donors and momentum she needs to keep her campaign alive.

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She was most competitive in the progressive state of Vermont, which she won in a tight race, and tended to do better in areas with higher rates of college-educated voters.

The results bring Americans one step closer to a Trump-Biden rematch in November, despite polls suggesting most voters do not want to endure such a contest.

With Biden turning 82 this year and Trump only four years younger, age is also a growing concern, particularly among younger voters – the very cohort who helped propel Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to office in 2020.

“I hope it doesn’t continue trending this way and that in future we see some younger candidates that inspire hope and excitement,” said Pilar Kelly, a 22-year-old student majoring in public policy at Duke University.

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Fellow student Noah Vaughan, 24, took a different view.

“Yeah, they’re really old, but I hate the rhetoric on age because it is not binary,” he said.

“I think age brings a lot of perspective. I think we look at Biden and we should look at an individual who is a very tangible politician, who has lived through dozens and dozens of national and international tragedies, and has a real perspective on how can we go forward into the future.”

Trump already had a near-clean sweep of all the early voting states, including Haley’s home state of South Carolina.

In addition to the US border crisis, he also made his legal woes a central plank of his election pitch, insisting he is a victim of a political witch-hunt.

In North Carolina, Republican voter Larry Jennings agreed. Asked if he would still vote for Trump if he was convicted of any of the 91 criminal charges against him, he replied, “He won’t get convicted.

“Look at the New York case,” he said, citing the decision that recently found Trump had committed fraud by grossly inflating the value of his properties for financial gain.

“He overvalued his properties. We do that every time we sell a house. If I want to get more money out of my house, I’m gonna say it’s worth more.”