Donald Trump vowed to cheering supporters that he would "take back our country" after dominating the Super Tuesday primary contests.
Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr Trump declared that "this has been a day we've been waiting for" to a somewhat muted crowd.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden largely sailed through the Democratic nominating contests.
The results all but guarantees a repeat of the 2020 US presidential election.
Both men appear poised to frame the election as an existential test for the future of the country as they head towards a rematch in November.
Polling indicates that many Americans do not want the same choice they had four years ago but the Super Tuesday results make that all but certain.
Mr Trump warned his supporters at Mar-a-Lago that if "we lose the election, we're not going to have a country left".
He invoked one of his key issues, immigration, and the numbers crossing the southern border. He also pledged that the world would see fewer wars if he were president.
Just before Mr Trump spoke, Mr Biden released a statement saying alleged his opponent was "driven by grievance and grift," rather than by his concerns for the country.
"Tonight's results leave the American people with a clear choice," he said. "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?" he said.
Mr Trump warned his supporters at Mar-a-Lago that if "we lose the election, we're not going to have a country left".
He invoked one of his key issues, immigration, and the numbers crossing the southern border. He also pledged that the world would see fewer wars if he were president.
Just before Mr Trump spoke, Mr Biden released a statement saying alleged his opponent was "driven by grievance and grift," rather than by his concerns for the country.
"Tonight's results leave the American people with a clear choice," he said. "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?" he said.
Analysts are viewing the Super Tuesday primaries as a test of Mr Biden and Mr Trump's support in different states and among different groups. It is also a test for the parties and their voters' enthusiasm.
There were several other important takeaways on Tuesday night:
- The only remaining Republican challenger to Mr Trump, Nikki Haley, is projected to win the primary in the small north-east state of Vermont
- Mr Biden faced his only defeat in the US territory of American Samoa to a largely unknown businessman, Jason Palmer
- In Minnesota, about 20% of Democratic voters cast their ballots for "uncommitted" over Mr Biden's Gaza policy
- North Carolina's closely-watched gubernatorial race will be between Republican lieutenant governor Mark Robinson and Josh Stein, the Democratic attorney general
- In California's US Senate race, Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former baseball player, will advance to the general election
- Meanwhile in Texas, congressman Colin Allred - a former NFL football player - will take on Republican Ted Cruz in the Senate race
By the end of Super Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans will have awarded about a third of the total delegate count that is available to presidential candidates through the entire nominating contest.
The Trump campaign is well on its way and is confident the former president will hit the delegate threshold later this month.
Mr Biden and Mr Trump have all but locked up their parties' nominations but political observers are interested in whether either man faced significant defections from supporters on Super Tuesday.
The president has seen some Democratic voters back "uncommitted" on ballots, and while it is unclear how that may translate in November, it could chip away at his support in key states.
On the Republican side, many anti-Trump voters have given their backing to Ms Haley, who served as Mr Trump's UN ambassador when he was in the White House.
She did not hold a campaign event after failing to gain huge traction on Tuesday night, but her campaign emphasised that her Republican supporters - who could prove key in a general election - continue to seek an alternative to Mr Trump.
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