When does a presumptive nominee become a nominee? Here’s how Donald Trump will make it official

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 2,500 delegates are gathering in Milwaukee this week for a roll call vote to select the Republican presidential nominee, formally ending the presidential primary.

It will be a moment lacking in suspense: Former President Donald Trump has already been the presumptive nominee for months, having clinched a majority of convention delegates on March 12, but he doesn’t officially become the party’s standard-bearer until after the roll call, when delegates vote on the nominee.

A vast majority of those delegates are already bound to support Trump, who only needs a majority to win the Republican nomination. However, due to state party rules, at least a handful are still slated to go to former candidate Nikki Haley, even after she released her delegates.

While Democratic delegates are technically allowed to stray from their pledged candidate to vote their conscience, Republican delegates remain bound to their assigned candidate no matter their personal views. That means that the party rules almost guarantee that Trump will officially become the nominee this week.

When is the roll call and how will it go?

The leader of each state delegation will take turns, in alphabetical order, to announce their results. If a delegation passes when it’s their turn, they will have another opportunity to announce their results at the end of the roll call.

What to know:

• Latest on the assassination attempt: FBI officials say they have yet to determine what motivated the shooter to open fire from a nearby rooftop, killing one spectator and critically injuring two others before he was shot dead by the Secret Service.
• How to watch the RNC: The RNC will livestream proceedings across a number of online platforms, including YouTube and