If GOP front-runner Donald Trump can win most of the final primary contests, he should get the Republican presidential nomination no matter the delegate count, said Steve Forbes, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1996 and 2000.
On the issue of who Trump might pick as a vice presidential running mate, Forbes told CNBC's "Squawk Box" the billionaire real estate mogul could do "something totally out of the box" and choose somebody like former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Trump celebrated Tuesday's crushing New York primary victory, with the latest projections predicting the billionaire will get close to the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination come convention time in July.
The next big primary day is set for Tuesday with five contests, including winner-take-most races in 71-delegate Pennsylvania and 38-delegate Maryland.
The final nominating contests occur on June 7, with five primaries on the docket, including winner-take-most of the 172 delegates up for grabs in California and winner-take-all 51 delegates in New Jersey.
Forbes said that coming up short at around 1,100 delegates should be enough for Trump to win, because one of the remaining candidates — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich — could throw their haul to Trump.
"Somebody is going to put [Trump] over, whether it's Kasich or somebody else. Those things take a dynamic of their own, especially ... [with] delegates knowing this is their last chance at 15-minutes of fame," Forbes said.
The chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media said he has not endorsed any candidate, but will support whoever gets the Republican nomination.