Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:50 pm
Forty-five percent of Americans who were watching television watched Trump, but that number rose to 49% when Pelosi and Schumer delivered their rebuttal.
According to The Hollywood Reporter viewership went up after Trump stopped talking, “In preliminary numbers, the quarter hour (9-9:15 p.m. ET) containing the president’s speech drew a combined 28.1 household rating in metered markets on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News and NBC. The following 15 minutes, including analysis and the Pelosi-Schumer rebuttal, averaged 29.3 across those same networks, a bump of about 4 percent.”
The early numbers only showed that viewership went up when Trump left the airwaves, “Early viewing figures showed 45% of people actively watching television tuned in during the time period of the president’s speech (9:00 to 9:15 p.m. Eastern) to one of the networks airing it, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox (broadcast), Fox News (cable), NBC, and MSBNC. However, that number rose to about 47% in the next 15-minute block, during which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presented a response. Those viewership numbers correspond to 28.1% and 29.3% of all people who watch television, respectively, or about 35 to 40 million people across the time periods.”
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The final numbers were that 4% more viewers watched Pelosi and Schumer than watched Trump.
These numbers are a reflection of Trump’s weakness and lack of popularity. More Americans wanted to see Pelosi and Schumer than wanted to watch Trump. The president is in a weak and crumbling political position on the government shutdown, and his wall. The television ratings make it clear that the American people are not with Trump on this issue.
Trump drew his biggest viewership numbers from Fox News, which demonstrates the very limited appeal of the wall and the shutdown.
The address was a disaster. It backfired. Trump is losing Republican support, and with Nancy Pelosi holding all the cards, the endgame is getting worse for Trump.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
