On January 20, Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration had lower viewership compared to his first term, following a historical trend for second-term presidents.
According to early Nielsen figures, Trump’s swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States attracted an average of 26.05 million viewers from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and cable news channels CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. This number was considerably lower than the previous two inauguration ceremonies.
In comparison, Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 drew 39.87 million viewers, while Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 had an average of 38.35 million viewers during a similar time frame. However, the viewership for Trump’s second inauguration peaked at 34.4 million viewers from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. ET across 15 networks.
Throughout the full day of coverage from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on 15 outlets, including various networks, cable channels, and news stations, the average viewership was 24.59 million. This was significantly lower than previous inaugurations, with Biden’s 2021 inauguration averaging 33.76 million viewers and Trump’s 2017 inauguration drawing 30.64 million viewers.
Fox News led the viewership for the 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. window with 10.3 million viewers, followed by ABC, NBC, and CBS with 4.7 million, 4.4 million, and 4.1 million viewers respectively. CNN and MSNBC had considerably lower viewership numbers.
Despite the unique circumstance of Trump returning to office after losing to Biden, the trend of smaller audiences for a second inauguration is not uncommon. Past presidents like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama also experienced decreased viewership during their second terms.
In primetime, Fox News continued to lead among cable news outlets, with ABC and CBS airing one-hour specials on the inauguration at 10 p.m. NBC featured entertainment programming instead. Full ratings for Monday night, including the College Football Playoff title game on ESPN, will be released later in the week.
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