Tens of Millions Tune in for High-Stakes U.S. Presidential Debate

The U.S. presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump attracted 67.1 million TV viewers. This figure surpasses the viewership of Trump's debate with Joe Biden in June, indicating heightened public interest. The record for a presidential debate remains at 84 million viewers, set in 2016.

The U.S. presidential debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump drew a significant audience of 67.1 million television viewers, according to Nielsen data released on Wednesday. The Tuesday night event marked the first face-to-face encounter between the candidates ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The viewership numbers surpassed the approximately 51 million who watched Trump debate then-candidate President Joe Biden in June. This figure, however, does not account for the growing number of online viewerships as traditional TV audiences continue to decline.

The record for the highest TV audience for a presidential debate remains unbroken since 2016, when 84 million people tuned in to see Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton debate Trump.

(With inputs from agencies.)