by Jeroslyn JoVonn
September 16, 2024
The Harris-Trump debate garnered over 67 million viewers, Nielsen says.
Americans were locked into the 2024 Presidential election debate, with over 67 million tuning into last week’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
NBC News reports that Nielsen ratings show an increase in the number of viewers who tuned in to the Harris-Trump debate compared to Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden in June. Roughly 51.3 million viewers watched the Biden-Trump debate, a square-off that effectively derailed Biden’s re-election bid, prompting him to drop out of the race one month later.
ABC hosted and broadcasted the Harris-Trump debate, which was simulcast across 17 networks, including NBC and MSNBC. The ratings surge includes over 6.4 million viewers aged 18 to 34, 16.8 million aged 35 to 54, and more than 41.3 million viewers aged 55 and up, comprising the largest audience percentage.
This year’s election is still experiencing a drop in debate viewership, with the 2016 election between Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drawing in 84 million viewers and the 2020 Biden-Trump debate attracting 73.1 people. Ratings, however, do not include the many people who followed the debate through social media, news websites, or streaming platforms.
Harris is receiving praise for her debate performance, which included incisive critiques of Trump’s record on abortion and national security. On the other hand, Trump’s conspiracy theory-riddled performance raised concerns among his political allies as he seeks a second term in the White House.
Following the debate, an ABC/Ipsos survey revealed that 58% of Americans viewed Harris as the winner, while 36% chose Trump. The day after the debate, Trump announced he would not agree to a second presidential debate, citing alleged polls that deemed him as the winner of the first debate.
“Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a Second Debate,” said Trump.
“There will be no third debate,” he added.
The Floridian Press cites post-debate polls that reflect pre-debate figures showing Harris maintaining a narrow lead over Trump, particularly in key swing states.
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