Trump-Harris debate draws huge TV viewers with the largest audience in areas critical to the outcome in the election
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debate drew more viewers than Trumps debate with Joe Biden, early rating figures show.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debate drew more viewers than Trumps debate with Joe Biden, early rating figures show.
And many of those viewers were in the battleground states that will decide the November election.
Tuesdays debate, produced by ABC News but simulcast on multiple broadcast and cable networks, drew about 57.75 million viewers across the big four broadcast networks, CNN, Fox News, Fox Business and MSNBC.
That is about 6.5 million more people than the final tally for the June 27 debate between Trump and Biden in Atlanta.
Viewers who watched Trump and Harris online have yet to be factored in.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debate drew about 57.75 million viewers across the big four broadcast networks, CNN , Fox News , Fox Business and MSNBC
Many of viewers were in swing states, a reporter for Fox News who had the rating numbers revealed: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia (the site of the debate), West Palm Beach (where Trump lives), Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Detroit, New York, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Providence.
Tuesdays debate audience ran about average size.
In 35 televised presidential debates since 1960 (there were none in 1964, 1968 and 1972), the average audience has been about 59.1 million viewers.
One exception was the record 84 million viewers for the first debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Two debates between Biden and Trump in the 2020 election averaged 68.05 million viewers.
At the conclusion of Tuesday nights debate, Harris team immediately offered to schedule another one for October.
Harris was widely viewed as the winner. During the showdown, she repeatedly baited Trump and got under his skin when she talked about the size of his rallies, his criminal court cases and the fact other world leaders dont like him.
Trump, meanwhile, said he was less inclined to participate in another one after giving his own performance a sterling review.
Well, Id be less inclined to because we had a great night, Trump said in a call-in interview with Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning.
And, in a post on his Truth Social account, Trump saidHarris is demanding a debate rematch because she was ‘beaten badly,’ and compared her to a prize fighter begging for a rematch.
The former president, an Ultimate Fighting Championship fan, cited a poll he did not identify that had him walloping Harris. That came despite other snap polls by CNN and DailyMail had her prevailing in the bout.
‘In the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, “I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!”’, Trump posted online. ‘Well, it’s no different with a Debate. She was beaten badly last night. Every Poll has us WINNING, in one case, 92-8, so why would I do a Rematch?
Trump complained about the network that hosted as well as the moderators, and even suggested without evidence that his rival got to see the questions ahead of time.
We won the debate. We had a terrible, terrible network, he told Fox, once again tearing into ABC for its real-time fact checks of some of his statements.
I think they were terrible. They should be embarrassed. I mean, they kept correcting me and I said what I said was largely right or I hope it was right. But what they said was absolutely wrong.
Many of the viewers of the Trump-Harris debate reside in swing states
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were together again in New York on Wednesday for the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; From left: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance
Trump said they refused to correct misstatements by Harris. Moderators interjected after his own statements on January 6, Russias invasion of Ukraine, and abortion.
The other you know what what she said. And they refused to correct. I even complained a couple of times. Why arent you correcting them? Look, they should have corrected si or seven times. She told an outright lie. Another one is Project 2025. They know it has nothing to do with me, Trump said.
