NEW YORK — Approximately 24.6 million viewers tuned in to witness President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, marking the lowest audience for this event since Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.
According to Nielsen, this viewership figure is significantly lower than the 33.8 million who watched Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 and also falls short of the 30.6 million viewers who saw Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
Over the past fifty years, the number of viewers for inaugurations has fluctuated widely, ranging from a peak of 41.8 million during Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inauguration to a low of just 15.5 million for George W. Bush’s second-term inauguration in 2004.
One possible factor contributing to the lower viewership for Trump’s inauguration was the extended duration of coverage. The reported 24.6 million viewers reflects the average audience across 15 networks during coverage that spanned from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In previous years, coverage durations were shorter, potentially resulting in higher average numbers since viewers are more likely to switch channels as time progresses.
Nielsen did not provide immediate insights regarding how many viewers were engaged with the inauguration coverage by 4 p.m. Eastern, a time when most prior events had concluded.
Many viewers clearly gravitated towards Fox News Channel during the event, with 10.3 million tuning in from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., coinciding with Trump’s swearing-in and inaugural address. In that same timeframe, ABC attracted 4.7 million viewers, NBC had 4.4 million, CBS drew 4.1 million, while CNN and MSNBC garnered 1.7 million and 848,000 viewers, respectively, as reported by Nielsen.
Comparatively, four years prior, during Biden’s inauguration, CNN and MSNBC collectively attracted 13.4 million viewers, in stark contrast to Fox News, which only pulled in 2.4 million.
