CNN Trump-Biden Debate Brings in 51 Million TV Viewers Across Networks, 30 Million More Online

Over 51 million people tuned into the June 27 television debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to Nielsen Fast National data as cited by host CNN (as of 5 p.m. ET on June 28).

The 51.3 million people tuning into the debate is the lowest TV audience since the first 2012 presidential debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. That garnered more than 46 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

While CNN hosted the debate, it was also simulcast across 22 networks and streamed online.

Of the 51.3 million TV viewers, 9.5 million tuned in on CNN’s main channel; 9.3 million on Fox News; 9.2 million on ABC News; and 4.1 million on MSNBC, according to CNN.

There were 3.4 million viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 who saw it on CNN’s main channel, according to the network.

CNN said the debate attracted 2.5 million streamers and garnered over 30 million views online, making it the network’s most-watched digital event in its history.

But the 2020 and 2016 debates far surpassed this first 2024 debate for television viewership.

In 2020, 73.13 million people watched the first debate between President Trump and soon-to-be President Biden, while approximately 63 million watched the second one, according to Nielsen.

In 2016, when the race was between candidate Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the first debate garnered more than 56 million viewers, while almost 44 million and more than 49.5 million watched the second and third debates, respectively, according to Nielsen.

This year’s debate with no studio audience, and rules that allowed CNN moderators to mute the candidates’ mics, was more subdued than previous presidential matchups.

The economy, abortion, border security, climate change, and foreign policy, were the main topics during the more-than-90-minute broadcast.

Former President Trump said he would accept the election result—if it’s “fair and legal.”

The evening was marked by multiple gaffes, mid-sentence pivots, and both candidates sometimes dodging the moderators’ questions.

President Biden, who had a raspy voice for parts of the debate, struggled at times throughout the evening.

Following the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that the president had gotten off to a “slow start.”

But, she told CNN, it’s about “the choice” the American people will be making in November.

The president on June 28 addressed his debate performance.

“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” he said at a rally in North Carolina. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to.

“But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job.”

The next scheduled debate between President Biden and former President Trump will be on Sept. 10 on ABC News, moderated by anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.

A vice presidential debate between Ms. Harris and former President Trump’s running mate—who may be announced at the GOP convention (July 15 to July 18)—is expected on July 23 or Aug. 13.

President Biden’s campaign has agreed for CBS to host it on either date, while the Trump campaign has accepted an invite for one hosted by Fox News, on July 23 or Aug. 13.