An estimated 24.6 million television viewers tuned in to watch President Donald Trump's second inauguration, marking the smallest audience for the quadrennial ceremony since Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013, according to Nielsen Company data.
The viewership numbers were significantly lower compared to Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration, which drew 33.8 million viewers, and Trump's first inauguration in 2017, which was watched by 30.6 million people.
Historically, inauguration viewership has fluctuated over the years, with Ronald Reagan's 1981 inauguration attracting a high of 41.8 million viewers, and George W. Bush's second term in 2004 hitting a low of 15.5 million viewers.
The length of Trump's inauguration coverage may have impacted the overall viewership numbers, as the event lasted from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. In previous years, the coverage was shorter, potentially leading to higher average viewership numbers as people tend to tune out as the day progresses.
Notably, Fox News Channel dominated the viewership ratings on the day of the inauguration, with 10.3 million viewers tuning in between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. During the same time frame, ABC had 4.7 million viewers, NBC had 4.4 million, CBS had 4.1 million, CNN had 1.7 million, and MSNBC had 848,000 viewers, according to Nielsen.
Four years ago, CNN and MSNBC collectively drew 13.4 million viewers for Biden's inauguration, while Fox News had significantly lower viewership at 2.4 million.
Despite the lower viewership numbers for Trump's second inauguration, the event still garnered significant attention across various news networks.
