TV Ratings for Trump's Second Inauguration Fall to New Low

Donald Trump's second inauguration attracted 24.6 million television viewers, marking the smallest audience for such a ceremony since 2013. The viewership was notably lower than Joe Biden's and Trump's first inaugurations. Fox News attracted the most viewers during Trump's swearing-in and inaugural speech.

Donald Trump's second inauguration drew an audience of 24.6 million television viewers, marking the smallest viewership for a presidential inauguration since 2013, according to the Nielsen Company.

This figure stands in contrast to Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration, which captivated 33.8 million people, and Trump's first inauguration in 2017, which drew 30.6 million viewers.

Inauguration viewership tends to fluctuate, with the highest being 41.8 million for Ronald Reagan in 1981, and the lowest being 15.5 million for George W. Bush's second term in 2004.

The length of the broadcast for Trump's second inauguration may have contributed to the low average, Nielsen noted. The numbers reflect an average from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm EST across 15 networks, a longer timeline than previous inaugurations.

Nielsen lacked immediate data for viewership until 4 pm EST, traditionally the end of coverage. Fox News led with 10.3 million viewers during Trump's oath and speech, surpassing ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC.

Four years ago, a combined 13.4 million watched Biden's ceremony on CNN and MSNBC, considerably more than Fox News's 2.4 million viewers.

(With inputs from agencies.)